Eyes bled black
by Kermitfries
Summary: That night Chase Collins, like every other night, got what he wanted. He heard Tyler Simms scream.
1. Raped on the inside, torn on the outside

How do you hold the special victim?  
When they push you away  
When they've been  
Raped on the inside  
Torn on the outside  
The dirt and ugly from the stain that they try to hide  
Touched in private places  
Embarassed faces  
To scared to ask for help  
-- Angel; Blue October

Summary: What if Chase hadn't stopped at Sarah? What if he had made good on his threat and went after each member of the covenant? This is what happens when Chase -- after targeting Pogue -- targets Tyler and then subsequately targets Reid. Review, little ducklings. Tell me if you want this to be a one shot, or if you want to see what happens next; and what happens to Reid. Don't review, and it will be reverted to a one shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own the covenant or the members -- just the situations I place them in.

Warning: This story will contain cussing; and this chapter contains rape; further chapters will contain explicit violence.

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After seeing Pogue in the hospital Tyler didn't feel up to Nicky's. He just wanted to go back to the dorms and lay for a bit just thinking. Pogue's condition had the opposite effect on Reid. Reid needed something, anything to concentrate on. Hustling would suffice quite nicely. So with the aid of a heated arguement Tyler eventually let Reid drop him off at the dorms before Reid headed to Nicky's in Tyler's ride. Tyler wouldn't be going anywhere tonight anyway. He made his way to the dorm he shared with Reid in a sort of trance. Pogue had been injured by a force obviously greater than Tyler would ever be. They were all in danger. Caleb even seemed a bit on edge. Maybe that was his response to fear. If Caleb was afraid than they all should be, but Reid refused to acknowledge that. He just didn't do fear.

Tyler slowly opened the door and gently closed it behind him. Then he lifted his eyes from the ground and drew back in surprise. Laying promptly on his bed was Chase Collins. In the beginning, Caleb had almost been friendly toward Chase. Certainly as friendly as he had ever been toward Tyler and by far more friendly than he had ever been toward Reid. Pogue had been hesitant but civilized nonetheless. And Reid hadn't cared either way. But Tyler wasn't sure how he'd felt. He wasn't directly linked to Chase -- not as Caleb and Pogue had been, so he figured he shouldn't care either way. Like Reid. But now everything had changed and he still wasn't sure how he felt. Caleb had gone from his friend to his enemy and Pogue had more than happy to do the same. Reid wanted some sort of justified violence and figured he could find that in Chase. But Tyler? Well, he supposed this was the bad guy. But did he fear him? Like Pogue suddenly did. Did he want to dismember him? Like Reid. He wasn't sure. Tyler wasn't sure if he could find it in himself to hate anybody; but if he could -- then it shouldn't be a stretch to put that newfound hatred off onto Chase.

Chase slowly rose from the bed and drew near, slightly impressed when Tyler didn't shrink away. The two hadn't ever held a conversation before, but Caleb and Pogue treated the boy like some sort of child. Inferior is the word. And Reid, hmmm. Well, Reid probably treated the boy like some sort of mindless friend -- just there to agree with him. But even Chase was sure that this child held some sort of significance to Reid. Definitely a lot more than Pogue did. Maybe in the end Reid would put up a significant fight; a lot more significant than what Pogue had put up.

"What are you doing here?" Tyler asked quietly, forcing himself to hold his ground as Chase closed the space between them.

"I'm sure you're aware of why I'm here," Chase murmured gently, taking a step further, forcing the boy before him to take a step back. "What happened to your friend is just the beginning. He was the weakest and he got the weakest punishment. Time to step it up, don't you think? I'd like to see how you scream," he added with a smirk.

Tyler shook his head, swallowing hard. "Chase -"

"Shhh," Chase commanded, taking another step closer, forcing the brunette against the door. "This will be a lot less painful if you don't provoke me." Chase paused for a moment, eyeing the silent brunette before he lunged forward and did something that both surprised and confused the boy. He kissed him. Chase gripped Tyler's upper arms firmly and pressed their lips together with bruising force. Tyler tried to pull back but Chase tightened his grip and deepened the kiss. Tyler was pressed hard against the door and couldn't escape the man's embrace. Chase pulled back to glimpse Tyler's face, a smirk settling squarely on his lips. Tyler's cheeks had flushed red and his breathing was heavier than before. He looked damn right upset.

"What the hell?" Tyler demanded, trying to wrench his arms out of Chase's grasp and shove Chase away at the same time. He failed to do either of the two.

Chase's smirk steadily grew. He released Tyler's arms, took a step back and suddenly punched him in the ribs. The air rapidly escaped Tyler, drawing a gasp from his lips and then Chase punched him in the jaw, knocking the boy to the ground. Chase kicked out a foot, first catching Tyler in the mouth and then catching him in the ribs. Tyler tasted blood, wincing as he felt something break within his chest. His teeth had bit through his lip and his mouth was rapidly filling with blood. Tyler, however, hadn't even cried out. His mouth opened slightly, in a silent yelp and Chase caught a glimpse of blood coated teeth. "Alright," he distantly heard Chase mutter. "There's other ways to break a man," he muttered as he forced Tyler to his feet. "For Pogue -- it was physical violence," he said as he slammed Tyler hard against the door. "But for you? I think I'll have to take a different route." He gripped Tyler's arm tightly and shoved him further into the room. Tyler stumbled first, gripping his ribs and spitting blood. He turned to look back at Chase somewhat confused. Chase shoved his chest hard and Tyler stumbled back, falling unceremoniously onto Reid's bed. Tyler quickly propped himself up on his elbows and tried to crawl away but Chase was upon him, pinning him quickly. Tyler struggled against Chase, managing to bring up his leg and bury it deep in Chase's gut. Chase grunted, his grip slackened and Tyler slipped an arm free. He punched Chase with all his strength in the face. He drew blood but barely phased Chase.

Chase's eyes bled black and Tyler was immediately restrained by an invisible force. Chase then spit blood out over the side of Reid's bed. The look in his eyes held hostility and he punched Tyler hard across the face. His fist held more force than Tyler's had. Tyler's face screwed up in pain but he didn't permit anything more than a grunt. Chase gripped Tyler's chin hard with a hand, his other hand was on the bed to keep his weight from crushing Tyler, but his body was still pressed firmly against Tyler's. Tyler was suddenly aware of the hard bulge in Chase's jeans pressing against his groin. Chase pressed his lips firmly against Tyler's again, violently exploring Tyler's mouth once more.

Tyler squirmed beneath Chase and then his head jerked and Chase drew back in pain. Tyler had bit his tongue and his mouth was filling quickly with blood. Chase spit the blood out over the side of the bed again but his lips were already dyed red. He drew back his fist and punched Tyler again, and then again and then again until Tyler's vision had started to darken. When Chase stilled, breathing heavy with the effort Tyler forced a smile, his teeth stained red, his eyelids too heavy for him to lift them. "Won't try that again, will you?" Tyler asked. His voice was slow, his tone hoarse, but even Chase could hear the mockery in it.

"I was willing to you bring you a fine mixture of pleasure and pain," Chase spat, dangerously drawing his face unbarably close to Tyler's. "It didn't have to be like this," he added. "But I like it better this way," he breathed, slowly drawing back. Tyler's eyes snapped open as he felt Chase fumbling with the button on his jeans.

"No," Tyler slurred, squirming desperately beneath Chase again. But his strength was fading quickly as his eyes slid close again, and his struggles lacked strength. "Please, don't," he gasped out as Chase roughly pulled down his jeans. Chase ignored Tyler's slurred plea as he unbuckled his own jeans. That night Chase Collins, like every other night, got what he wanted. He heard Tyler Simms scream.


	2. If you should die before me

If you should die before me, ask if you could bring a friend. -- Stone temple pilots

A/N: I dunno if this is gonna be a full fledged stoy. You, my good people, tell me. Some have already placed their votes -- no need to repeat. There is a great dire need to review, however. This chapter deals with Reid's reaction toward Tyler's condition. And then there will be a chapter about what happens when Chase finally gets a hold of Reid. But you tell me if you want the in-between story. Do you wanna see how Tyler deals with what has just happened to him? Do you wanna see how Caleb deals with the sudden loss of the covenant? Do you want to see a confrontation between Caleb and Chase that seemed to have been misplaced during the editing of the movie? Or should this just be three chapters. Feed me your ideas, inspire me. Tell me if you accept the Reid and Tyler I have painted for you -- or do I need to go back to art class. I've also been watching a lot of gossip girl lately, so I sincerely apologize if Tyler seems out of character in this chapter...which he's supposed to be kind've -- but if you see similarities between Tyler Simms and Nate Archibald, please alert me, because that is not my intention. But as for the last question -- Do you want a happy ending?

On a lighter yet...darker note -- I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. So tell me if you think it sucks or not; because as the creator -- I'm 100 bias...so I hate everything I write. And -- I'm pretty sure I don't intend on making this story **slash**. Unless you want me to. I know the undertones of this chapter can seem mighty intimate, but that wasn't my intentions. So tell me how you feel about slash and whether or not that is something would like to see.

And most importantly -- You must review, or I lack inspiration. Something irritate you -- tell me. If you think I'm warped and psychotic for putting Tyler in such a position, please feel free to let me know. Think Reid is utterly adorable, send a review. R&R.

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Reid paused outside of the dorm. Tyler had completely sucked all the potential fun out of Nicky's...and he hadn't even been there. Reid knew that he had hurt Tyler earlier, even if the younger boy had tried to hide it. Tyler couldn't hide anything from Reid. Reid had only been at Nicky's for half an hour, not even at the pool tables, just off sitting at a random table, sipping thoughtfully at his beer, when Aaron approached him. Aaron had gone into this huge speel about how Reid was eyeing his woman while she was on the dance floor, and Reid knew immediately that he gave Aaron the most confused look he could muster through the haze of alcohol. Gone was his Garwin smirk and he hadn't even noticed it. But Aaron did. The two had a special relationship - one that was built merely on hatred and hostility.

Aaron had dragged Reid outside and shoved him back against the back alley wall of Nicky's. Reid was unusually mellow and Aaron almost gained the upper hand until Reid forced himself to acknowledge the situation at hand. His cheek was bright red against his pale skin and he had a deep cut in his lip from where his teeth had bit through. There was a small but deep cut intertwined with his right eyebrow from where Aaron had hit him with his ring. Reid's head was bleeding after Aaron had slammed it into the ground a few times. Reid's own blood was on his hands and it would have pissed him off under normal circumstances. Reid would look worst than Aaron, if he hadn't broken his nose.

Reid lifted a sore hand to knock on the door but paused briefly. He couldn't hear movement from inside but listened intently anyway. Tyler had always been a quiet person, so Reid shrugged and knocked. His knock sounded hollow on the door. "Tyler?" He called, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. There was no response so he gently gripped the door handle and slowly turned it. "Look, Tyler, I'm sorry about what I said earlier, alright?" He began as he softly pushed the door open. He took a step into the room before he lifted his eyes from the floor.

Tyler laid curled on Reid's bed, where Chase had left him. His jeans had been unceremoniously pulled up but they were unbuckled and torn at the seams. Blood stained the material and the sheets beneath him. "Tyler?" he asked, his voice breaking as he dropped to his knees beside his own bed. He reached out a shaking hand to brush back the matted hair from Tyler's pasty forehead. "What happened?" he hissed. Tyler's eyes opened slowly but they looked vacant. "Who did this?" Reid demanded. Tyler's eyes slid shut again and he heaved a big sigh. "Tyler? You have to talk to me. Please." Tyler sighed but didn't attempt speech. "Baby boy, you're scaring me," Reid whispered, drawing closer to his injured friend.

"I'm sorry," Tyler mumbled. His body seemed to shake with the effort of speech but it forced a smile of relief from Reid. A very brief smile that faded before it could reach his eyes.

"Don't be," Reid told him quietly; his fingers were tangled in Tyler's sweaty hair but the warm presence of Reid's skin against his own heated flesh seemed to sooth him. "I shouldn't have left you alone like that," Reid whispered. "Goddamnit!" He shouted, turning his head to the side slightly. He cleared his throat and dropped his eyes to the ground. Tyler squinted at the side of Reid's face. He could have sworn that he'd seen tears. But Reid crying? Isn't that the first sign of the apocalpse? Tyler could distinctly remember the last time he'd seen Reid crying. It was after his father's funeral and Reid had picked a fight with Aaron. The boys had just been ten, but they had a hateful relationship that went back as far as they could remember. It was the day after Reid's father's funeral, and Aaron had made fun of Tyler. Reid didn't do anything until Aaron shoved Tyler and the boy almost fell. But when Reid did do something, he sure did commit himself. It wasn't his fault that he was still a lanky ten year old and Aaron had already had his growth spurt. The boy had gotten lucky and caught ahold of Reid's arm and bent it back until Reid was kneeling before him, practically begging for him to let go. But Aaron kept bending until he broke it. And Tyler had been there, trying to comfort him, much like Reid was currently attempting. That was the last time Tyler had seen Reid look so vulnerable. But he was sure that that particular Reid had died a long time ago. "Look," Reid said, interrupting Tyler's thoughts. He rose quickly to his feet. "I'm gonna call Caleb, okay?" It almost sounded like Reid was asking for his permission. "You need a doctor or...something," he finished lamely. His hands had already delved into his pockets, searching furiously for his phone. After a rather daunting search, one in which Tyler had passed out during, Reid withdrew his phone triumphantly. Trembling fingers hit Caleb's speed dial and he pressed the phone firmly against his ear.

Reid was pacing, glancing down at Tyler every few seconds. The boy's emotionless face seemed to hide the pain that Reid knew Tyler must have gone through. Reid continued to stare down hard at the unconscious form that was his whole world as Caleb answered the phone. "Reid, I'm kind've busy," Caleb said dismissively. Reid had forgotten about all the prank calls he'd made to Caleb. Caleb had grown weary of his phone calls, even though it'd been weeks since the last prank call. Tyler had been there to tell Reid that crying wolf was a bad idea. And Reid, like always, had promptly ignored Tyler.

"Caleb," Reid said loudly, sufficiently drowning out Caleb's next statement. His voice was unsteady and raw and Caleb sat up straighter.

"What is it?" He asked sternly into the phone. The only thought he had was Chase. He wasn't quite sure how he'd react if Chase had somehow managed to get to Reid. Reid had always been so solid and his current voice almost sounded vulnerable; it was unnerving.

"Something's wrong, Caleb," Reid said quickly, his pacing quickening. "I'm sorry," he added. "It's just -- I went to Nicky's, and I was stupid enough to leave him alone. I didn't even think about what could happen."

"What did happen?" Caleb pressed. His voice was firm, but he was listening completely to Reid; more so than he'd ever listened to Reid in his entire life.

"Chase took a shot at Tyler," Reid said. He took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself but it didn't work. He could distantly hear Caleb repeating what he'd just said and knew he must be relaying the message to Sarah. "Tyler's pretty beaten up," Reid mumbled, glancing back at Tyler. "I don't think that's all he did, Caleb," Reid added.

"What do you mean?" Caleb demanded.

"He hurt Tyler," Reid said quietly. Caleb could hear the uncomortable edge to Reid's voice. "Like...sexually," he added.

"Call an ambulence," Caleb said darkly. "Get Tyler to the hospital, okay? Can you do that, Reid?" Caleb's voice was the most gentle Reid had ever heard it, but it still gave him some form of comfort.

"Yeah," Reid said quietly. "Yeah, I think so," he added, his voice faltering.

"You do that, Reid," Caleb ordered him. But this order seemd different than all of his other commands. "I'll meet you at the hospital." Caleb paused for a moment and could distinctly hear Reid shuffling on the other side of the phone. "Tyler's gonna be okay, Reid," He told him quietly. "Don't you leave his side."

"Never again," Reid promised before ending the call. He blew out a deep breath before dialing 911. He waited in silence for the ambulence, pacing the room furiously. He kept his promise and didn't like Tyler's side, as if he ever could. He rode in the ambulence and made it to the hospital before Caleb and Sarah did. But they had been out of town and the drive was longer. Reid was forced to wait impatiently as the doctor looked over Tyler. Tyler's ribs had been set and the cuts on his face had been bandaged, and Reid had been forced to bullshit his way out of giving a logical reason as to why Tyler wouldn't need a rape kit. Tyler's skin was pale, his face an array of colorful bruises, his eyelids closed. Reid sat apprehensively beside the bed in a plastic hospital chair.

Ried knew that he was fidgeting but he couldn't stop it. "Stop staring at me like that." The voice was a hoarse whisper and Reid blinked. "I'm not dead," Tyler mumbled, his voice low, barely reaching Reid's ears. "It's not your fault," he added. Reid blinked again and realized that Tyler's eyes were open and staring at him. Tyler's eyes were cloudy, and lighter than Reid had ever seen them.

Reid looked away. "Bullshit," he muttered.

"It's not your fault," Tyler repeated; this time his voice was steady, almost firm, forcing Reid to glance back at him. But it didn't sound like Tyler. Tyler had already changed, he was already gone.

"You were my responsibility," Reid told him quietly. "I should have been there."

"I'm not a fucking child," Tyler snapped, his voice lacking the necessary hostility to make the line sound angry. Either way, he hadn't ever spoken to Reid like that before and Reid cocked his head to side unconsciously, sizing Tyler up briefly. "Chase is stronger than any of us can imagine," he murmured, echoing Pogue's previous words. "If you had been there, you would in a hospital bed beside me." Tyler sighed but kept his eyes locked onto Reid's and added, "don't be stupid."

A small smirk crossed Reid's face; a shadow of what the Garwin smirk had been. "Talk about asking the impossible, eh?" He joked half heartedly, but even his smile faltered a bit, before falling apart completely. "Do you wanna talk about?" He asked after a minute of silence.

"Reid Garwin, thinking of someone else for a change?" Tyler asked quietly. Reid opened his mouth but then closed it again. He shook his head and Tyler suddenly felt guilty. Reid had actually asked a question that not only had nothing to do with himself, but also sounded sincere, and Tyler had shot him down. Reid knew he could be self involved and slefish at times, but he hadn't ever thought that this was how Tyler viewed him.

Reid seemed uncomfortable, his gaze had broken away from Tyler's and refused to return. If it had been anybody else who had commented on his self-involvement, Reid could have promptly shrugged it off. But anybody else hadn't made the comment. Tyler had. "Look, Reid," Tyler began.

"No, whatever," Reid interrupted dismissively. "You're right." Reid abrupt rose to his feet. "I'm gonna go see if Caleb's here yet," he announced but when he walked past Tyler, he felt a weak grasp on his arm. Looking down he saw Tyler's pale hand holding him tightly. His hand was cold.

"Could you..." Tyler seemed to hesitate and Reid shifted uncomfortably.

"What, baby boy?" He asked softly.

"Just..." Tyler tried again. "Stay with me," he forced out. "Just for a little bit longer. I really don't want to be alone."

A look flashed across Reid's face. A look that Tyler hadn't ever seen before. "Oh," Reid groaned. "Okay," he murmured, drawing his chair closer to Tyler's bed. When Caleb arrived Tyler had already fallen back to sleep. Reid was still seated in the chair beside his bed; he was lent forward and his head was rested in the crook of his right arm which was rested on the side of Tyler's bed. Reid's left arm was stretched forward, pressed up against Tyler's leg. Clapsed in his hand was Tyler's right hand. Caleb almost laughed, until he saw Tyler's condition. Tyler's free hand was placed protectively over his ribs. His face was turned to the side but Caleb could see the array of bruises and cuts littering his face. Chase had deliberately attacked Tyler. Innocent Tyler. It was one thing to hospitalize Pogue. Pogue could somehow manage it. But Tyler? He will be forever altered. As would Reid. Reid was forced to realize that _safe _didn't exist. For him -- the harsh realities of life wouldn't be a problem. He basked in danger. But for Tyler?

Reid almost looked peaceful; asleep. But Caleb knew what was going to come next. Chase had targeted Pogue first, knowing that Caleb was closest to him. And then he threatened Sarah -- another hit close to Caleb. And now Tyler. Tyler was his brother, not nearly as close as Pogue, but still family; even if the rift of age had occurred within the covenant. Reid was perhaps the furthest, but Caleb knew that Chase would still try. Because Reid was still family. And Reid would resist. He'd put up a fight, a better fight than he'd ever put up with Caleb, and he would lose. Reid was rash and violent, but he would never be able to take on Chase. Not alone, not how Chase wanted him to. Caleb couldn't even imagine the antics Chase would use to get under Reid's skin and scar him for life. Physical abuse couldn't even touch him, even if it killed him. Reid had taken brutal beatings before and smiled through it. And sexual abuse, like Tyler? Well...Caleb wasn't sure how Reid would handle that. He was sure that it would tear him down. Nobody should ever be invaded like that. It was _worst than death_. But Chase wouldn't use the same technique twice. He would come up with something else for Reid; probably worst. The abuse was getting worst and it scared Caleb. Because eventually, the next step would be death.

Caleb opted to leave the room to wander off somewhere else and find a cup of coffee. He would give Reid and Tyler their time alone as long as he could. But he didn't want to stray too far. Even though Caleb himself thought attacking Reid in a hospital was a pretty stupid move, he wouldn't ever put that past Chase. Chase was psychotic and relentless - a dangerous combination. He had just attacked and sucessfully immobilized two members of the covenant. Caleb had managed to wander back to the hospital room and paused outside the door. "You remember when Aaron broke my arm?" Reid had asked. His voice was faint, drowsy with sleep; slightly muffled because his head still rested in the crook of his arm.

"Yeah," Tyler answered quietly. His hand was still gripping Reid's hand tightly. Or was it Reid who was holding Tyler's hand for dear life?

"It's the first time I can remember talking to you," Reid commented. "Like, I know we grew up together, but that day it's like suddenly you existed to me. And anybody who fucked with you..." He paused for a moment, his breathing suddenly louder in the silence. "Anybody who dared to mess with you...I'd show them what's what."

"Aaron broke your arm," Tyler reminded him. "That must've been some show, with great threats and significant change to the way things were going."

Reid felt himself smile. Tyler was almost sarcastic. "And then he shoved me into the lake the next day," he sighed. "And I couldn't swim with that fucking cast on my arm. And he just stood there laughing." Reid paused. Caleb hadn't ever heard this story before. He'd known these boys his entire life. But he couldn't remember ever knowing why Reid suddenly had a broken arm, and the kid had refused to talk about it. He didn't know that Aaron went this far back with them, but he did notice that Reid and Tyler had suddenly become friends. They joked like they'd never joked before. They joked as friends. "But you were there, baby boy." His thumb seemed to stroke the back of Tyler's hand, almost affectionately. "I didn't even know you were there until you were dragging me out of the lake." Reid's voice was soft, almost distant. Caleb hadn't ever heard him use that tone before. "I don't think I've ever seen you that pissed since. Tyler Simms actually raised his voice."

"Yeah," Tyler agreed. "And you tired to attack Aaron when I pulled you out, but he had that growth spurt over the summer and he was like a foot taller. And you were shivering so badly that every time you tried to threaten him, you would stutter so badly nobody could understand you," Tyler recalled fondly. "He sent you back to the hospital with a concussion and broken ribs."

"Yeah," Reid sighed. "I was shivering so bad that I bit through my lip and I couldn't get it to stop bleeding," he added. Reid didn't say this, but after that day he signed up for swimming, just to guarantee that he would never be placed in that situation again. He had felt fear that day, when he couldn't resurface, and he made damn sure that he never felt that fear again. Until today.

"Do you think you would have Used?" Tyler asked quietly. "If you could. Would you have used on him?"

Reid was quiet for a moment. In all honesty, he wasn't sure, but then he shook his head. "No," he answered hollowly. "I never Use when I fight Aaron."

"I never tried to Use," Tyler told him, his voice dropping in volume, Caleb almost didn't hear the words.

"Even if you had, it wouldn't have made a difference," Reid told him, slowly lifting his head from his arm. "Chase is ascended. He's got all of us beat; nows all hes got to do is pick us off one by one."

"You would have Used," Tyler murmured. "This is why we have the Power, right? To Use in necessity. Why isn't it natural to me, Reid?"

Reid was quiet for a moment. "It's natural to try to fight," Reid told him, leaning forward slightly. "Without the power. When I fight Aaron, natural instinct takes over. The Power isn't even in my mind." He paused before adding, "It's the only time that the Power isn't in on my mind."

"Your fists are good enough, though," Tyler told him dejectedly. His knuckles hadn't even scabbed over yet but Reid knew that Tyler had tried to fend off Chase. Tyler had fought before, on Reid's behalf. Reid knew how quick Tyler was, both physically and mentally. He could out run or dodge anybody. Unless the fight was rigged. Reid hadn't ever taken Tyler for helpless; he wouldn't ever do that to a friend. He couldn't view Tyler as the baby -- not how Caleb and Pogue viewed him. But what now? How could he ever leave Tyler alone again? How could Tyler be _anything but helpless _in his eyes?

Reid's grip on Tyler's hand tightened; his eyes had slid closed but he could feel Tyler watching him. They had gotten into a fight earlier, right after seeing Pogue. Tyler had said it would have been wise, to just go back to the dorms. _Just for the night_. He almost sounded desperate, like maybe he was pleading. _Why can't we just play it safe for once?_ But Reid had ignored him. He'd called him a **baby**, told him to **suck it up; this is what happens in life. People get hurt. Why piss away the night**? Tyler had been hesitant, hurt. After Reid had told Tyler to **grow a pair**, he had told him, quite blatantly, to let him borrow his car. Tyler had told him to _fuck off_ but Reid had pinned Tyler against the car and told him again to let him borrow the car. Even while Reid was doing it, he knew he shouldn't be threatening Tyler. Tyler had made an irritated noise in his throat and angrily shoved the keys at Reid, shoving him back in the process. He'd gotten into the car and told Reid to drop him off at the dorms. They drove in a tense silence and Tyler left without a word when they'd arrived.

"I shouldn't have abandoned you," Reid said after a moment of silence.

"Whatever," Tyler said. His voice held a tone that told Reid to just drop it.

"I mean it," Reid said, his voice hard. "I'm supposed to be your friend. Your fucking family. If I hadn't been such an ass then you --"

"We already went through this, Reid," Tyler interrupted abruptly. "Chase did this to me. He is the only antagonist here. Stop blaming yourself. It doesn't suit you."

Reid shook his head, but he didn't turn away. His eyes seemed larger and then Tyler realized that they contained unshed tears. He was almost flattered..._he was worthy of Reid Garwin's tears_. Reid never cried for anyone. He caged his heart and ignored his feelings, but he couldn't ignore the fear he felt for Tyler. He had always refused to acknowledge the danger they were all in because of the covenant. He knew Tyler wouldn't experience the addiction that he certainly would after ascension. But that wasn't the only danger in their lives. He couldn't even imagine Tyler in danger. Tyler had always been this untouchable essence. Reid had seen Tyler banged up a bit before, after fights with Aaron, and seeing those bruises on such soft features had unnerved him a bit. _Always_. But this time it was amplified. Aaron was a baby kitten compared to Chase. Aaron had always been _harmless_.

"Buck up, soldier," Tyler whispered, squeezing Reid's hand momentarily. "I'm not dead," he repeated, tilting his head back against the pillow.

"_Somethings are worst than death_," Reid told him solemnly.


	3. Sick with myself

_Sick with myself, but I've got nobody else. So I give into myself, it's the only thing that helps_

-- Hollywood undead

A/N: I know this chapter is short, but I thought it was a good place to stop. I have now laid out the scene in which the boys of ipswich has grown up in, and I hope that helps you, and I, understand each individual character better. I would also like to say -- that this story has formed a lot better than I envisioned it would; it almost feels like a real story. I also apologize that Tyler has absolutely no lines in this chapter. I apologize for cutting Pogue out of this story completely, so he makes a brief appearance, but he too has no lines. It's kind've strictly Reid and Caleb. Please review. I hope you like it, for it is you who I write to. And the more reviews I get the faster I update. The next chapter is going to be graphic, so this serves as warning. It deals with what Chase does to Reid -- and being the third victim, his is the worst, and I intend to make it the worst. I'm not implying that rape isn't terrible...but what Chase plans on doing to Reid isn't exactly a light subject either. It does more than kill you, it tears apart your mind psychologically, and it steals your life slowly; your mind gives way before your body ever does - and without your mind you don't exist. I'm not sure how I'm gonna continue after the next chapter though, so if you have any ideas -- go ahead and tell me. This chapter doesn't have slash, but if that is a thing you would like to see -- tell me if you think reid and tyler ought to be involved. It all depends on the feeling I get while writing though -- so I'm not sure if slash is a thing I'm gonna deal with in this story. But I'm not ruling it out.

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Caleb dropped a bag beside Reid's chair. Reid was slumped in the chair, his legs propped up on Tyler's bed. He had kicked off his shoes hours ago, and he had shoved his feet underneath Tyler's stiff blanket, so that the blanket puffed outward, engulfing Reid's lower legs. His feet would shake, ever so slightly, brushing against Tyler's leg. It was just something that Reid did to maintain sleep, he rocked himself. Reid's arms were resting gently on his legs, his head tilted back and his eyes closed.It seemed to Caleb that Tyler slept more often than not, and whenever Tyler was sleeping, Reid was sitting right beside him sleeping himself.

It'd been two days and Chase had yet to resurface. Reid, however, hadn't left the hospital either, so Caleb figured that Chase was just lying in wait. It was Caleb who had insisted that Reid stay in the hospital, and at first Reid didn't complain. He could sit there for hours, just watching the sleeping, seemingly peaceful, features that made up Tyler Simms' face. He didn't mind being there to comfort Tyler when he woke up from a nightmare, or talk to him when he wanted to talk. But he hadn't Used in two days, he hadn't drank in two days, he hadn't stretched his legs in two days -- and even Tyler was beginning to see how fidgety Reid was becoming. How edgy he was with Caleb, how spacey he got sometimes; and how often he slept - as though there were things that he preferred his conscious to just not think about. Reid Garwin was addicted.

Caleb kicked the leg of Reid's chair and the boy before him jerked awake. He stared up at Caleb with wild eyes for a second before blinking, recognition flickering behind his eyes. "What?" He groaned, voice husky with sleep.

"Homework," Caleb announced, nodding toward the bag he dropped beside Reid's chair. Reid grunted. Reid Garwin doing homework? As if. "The teachers know about Tyler and Pogue's conditions. But you kind've still have to participate in school." Reid shrugged, glancing away from Caleb. Beneath the blanket Reid pressed his feet against the material of Tyler's hospital gown. Tyler always seemed to be cold but his body sure was warm. "I'm serious," Caleb cut in. "Don't do the homework, and you flunk. Spenser's don't care how much your mother is willing to donate. That's what the provost told me."

"I got it," Reid snapped.

"I think you should take a break," Caleb said slowly. He waited for Reid to bite out a smart reply but it never came. Reid merely stared ahead, seemingly ignoring Caleb's previous statement. "I mean it," Caleb tried again. "Just, take a walk. Go grab coffee. I'll watch Tyler while you --"

"I don't need a break," Reid interrupted him. His voice was soft yet firm, his fingers drumming impatiently on his knee.

"You've been sitting in that same spot for over 42 hours. You _need _a break." Caleb still held a commanding voice, and he was still issuing an order. Reid, evidently, didn't have a choice. Reid still shrugged, letting his heated gaze settle on Tyler. Tyler wasn't getting any better. He refused to speak of what had happened, and his comments toward Reid were cold and stiff. His dreams were getting worst, and he always woke up with that wild terror in his eyes. He was constantly terrified.

"It doesn't matter what I need," Reid said softly after a moment of silence. "This wasn't supposed to happen. The Power is supposed to stop this -- to help us. We aren't supposed to be victims anymore. Wasn't that the whole point of creating this covenant? To not be victims."

"Everybody's a victim," Caleb told him gently. "We're still human."

"Things like this aren't supposed to happen to people like Tyler," Reid commented, sinking lower in the chair.

"He'll be okay," Caleb said, his voice growing quiet.

"No he won't," Reid countered. "He'll never be Tyler again because that Tyler has been broken. I don't think I can live with the new one, knowing how the old used to be. How am I ever gonna laugh with him, Caleb? Or make fun of him; knowing what Chase did to him? How is our life ever gonna be anything else, anything that doesn't have to do with what happened? How are we gonna get past this? Is that even fucking possible?" Reid shook his head, breaking eye contact with Caleb so that he could glance back at Tyler.

Caleb was quiet for a moment. Reid Garwin had just used a metaphor, and he was asking questions that Caleb wouldn't have an answer to. "Chase is going to die," he told Reid quietly.

Normally that would have appeased the boy, but Reid just shook his head. "That doesn't even matter. He's already hurt Tyler. Killing him isn't going to make this better."

"You been thinking about this alot, huh?" Caleb asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I think I'll go for that walk," Reid announced, dropping his legs from Tyler's bed.He put on his shoes and abruptly left the room, closing the door softly behind him.Caleb glanced down at Tyler and sank into the seat that Reid had just vacated. Reid drifted down the hallway outside of Tyler's room in a sort of daze.He found himself outside of Pogue's room, gazing in through the glass window. Pogue had remained unconscious, after attempting to warn Caleb about the danger that was Chase Collins. Reid figured that Caleb probably spent whatever free time he had with Pogue, and his own mother. Caleb was seventeen, but he had already given his life away, attempting to aid those that couldn't do it themselves. Pogue would heal, hopefully, but Caleb's mother was already dead. Her eyes were always glazed over, her voice always slurred in that sophisticated sort of way. She would never be able to care for herself, let alone Caleb. Caleb had grown up in solitude, clinging to the only essence that he knew as family; the covenant. He was overbearing and protective, but if he weren't then he just wouldn't be Caleb.

Reid had grown up fatherless, much like Caleb, but his father hadn't abandoned him for the Power. He had abandoned Reid for another woman, half his mother's age, and he currently had himself a family that appeared picture perfect. Two kids in highschool on the honor roll, an intelligent ten year old, a big house, picket white fence, obedient dogs who didn't shit all over the carpet. He had all but forgotten that he had left his eldest son alone with a women he knew was suicidal. A woman he knew was controlling and manipulative. Reid spent his junior highschool years trying to coax his mother to eat, to take the antidepressants that the doctos had prescribed. By high school the covenant had already viewed him as a rebel, merely because he had dabbled in his mother's alcohol cabinent when the stress of having her around became too high and too frequent. With alchol came pot, and after pot came the Power -- the greatest high in the world, and he quickly spiraled down into a pit that took three years to climb out of; his mother's screams and threats were silent while he was there. He skipped school and flaked out on friends, he remained on the couch, always floating on some sort of high. Reid knew that he should feel guilty about his mother; he hadn't told her where he was going and hadn't spoken to her in three days. But for all she knew -- he was still at school, living in the dorms merely because he couldn't deal with living with her. Reid didn't take care of his mother, much like she had failed to take care of him. Caleb, for all purposes intended, appeared to be the bigger man. An adult with a conscious; a conscious that Reid refused to instill within himself.

Pogue was lucky. His father hadn't been addicted to the Power, nor was he infidel. He was a loving husband, a loving father, and he taught his child everything that a child needed to know. He instilled within his child the need for peace, for happiness. Pogue needed peace, and right now he was the most peaceful that he was ever bound to be. Asleep, seemingly dreamless, just floating freely in mere existence.

Tyler was a different story all together. Tyler's parents had divorced when he was younger, before he and Reid ever became friends. Before he ever had a friend. His father had custody because his mother had a meth habit that just happened to be more important than her son. And his father didn't approve of the Garwin's, even though Reid wasn't nearly as reckless then as he was now. Under his father's hand, Tyler drew more withdrawn and quiet, trying to please everybody at the same time, gaining a disliking toward shouting and flinching whenever anybody raised their hands too quickly. And then when he was fifteen his mother filed for custody, having gone to rehab three times and finally cleaned up her act. She also married a rich man and lived in a marriage that lacked love. Tyler was allowed a choice and chose his mother because he didn't want to become the abrasive and commanding teenager that his father wanted him to be. His mother, however, wasn't any better. Nor was his new step father or his step father's children. His mother saw what her child could be, much like his father did, and refused to see what he currently was. His step father refused to acknowledge him and his stepsiblings made fun of him every chance they got. But they also refused to acknowledge that under Reid's guidance, Tyler had formed a harder outer shell and easily shrugged off their comments. This is why Tyler opted to live in dorms as well. That -- and that was where Reid lived. It was Tyler who disapproved of Reid's constant pot use, and the drunken haze that he seemed to live in, and it was Tyler who slowly coaxed him away from it. But not even Tyler could coax him away from Using. The call had always been too strong to ignore. It was Reid who would laugh when Tyler flinched away from him. He always tried to laugh off the awkwardness of the situation, but almost immediately he would assure the boy that it wasn't Reid who he should fear. Reid told him he wouldn't ever hit him, and Tyler had believed him. He was safe _with Reid_.

Reid shook his head and turned away from Pogue's still form. He caught a glimpse of a moving figure and then saw nothing else as he was enveloped in a thick cloud of black smoke. The smoke brushed roughly against him and he stumbled back against the window behind him. The smoke brushed against his face, rapidly entering his mouth, pressing against his eyes, forcing its way up his nose. Reid cried out, as the pressure behind his eyes increased rapidly. He tasted blood and spat it out as a warm liquid slowly coursed over his lips. He coughed, sucking in the air that didn't exist around him anymore, spewing blood before him and crumbling to his knees, grasping his head in his hands and squeezing his eyes shut.

And then, just as suddenly as the smoke had appeared, it vanished, and Reid gasped for air, grimacing as he swallowed more blood than he ever had in his entire life. He blinked repeatedly, wiping away the blood from his nose, and then -- deliberately slow, trying to sponge away the blood that had originated from his eyes. He coughed again, trying to clear the thickness in his throat, spitting blood out onto the ground beneath him. When Reid finally lifted his head, his eyes settling onto Chase, who was standing mere feet in front of him. Reid's face darkened, a deep glare settling across his blood smeered features. "You don't seem very happy," Chase purred, striding forward yet remaining far enough away as to allow Reid enough space to stumble to his feet.

Reid stumbled back a step, rubbing the blood from his hands onto his jeans. Reid didn't feel like bantering; for the first time in his life, words failed him, and anger replaced the loss. The need to Use was eating at his conscious, tearing it apart, and the anger was fueling the need, making it unbarable. A grin deepened Chase's expression. He raised a hand and gestured forward. "Well, have at it then."

Reid narrowed his eyes and blinked, his eyes quickly bleeding black. He drew at the Power that was nestled tightly inside of him, pulling it out quickly and focusing it to a point. He then lunged forward and forced the Power out with what strength he could muster. A mere few feet separated Chase and Reid, but Chase still had time to draw his hands together as a shield. When Reid's ball of heated energy reached Chase it broke apart and evaporated. "Is that it?" He asked, letting his disappointment surface across his features. "A little weak there, aren't we? Been out of practice, a bit, Reid?" Chase strode forward as he spoke, slowly closing the distance between the two merely because Reid refused to back down.

"This is stupid," Reid said, his voice as dark as his eyes. Whatever had been the comedic, slacker Reid had quickly disipated; whatever essence that was Reid was quickly fading. "Why are you doing this?"

"You mean -- why did I do that to Tyler, right?" Chase smirked. Reid could feel his boiling blood heating his skin and felt it cross his cheeks, turning them red beneath the caked blood. He curled his fists until his fingernails cut into his skin. "Poor Tyler," Chase commented casually. "Who didn't hurt anybody or anything. Just another unfortuante casualty of war." Chase smacked his lips, smiling straight into Reid's blazing eyes. "Let me tell you this, though," he said quietly, as if he were sharing a secret. "That boy sure did taste good. Just like chocolate."

"Bastard!" Reid shouted, lunging forward, unable to fight back the anger any longer. He grabbed Chase by the front of his shirt and slammed him violently into a wall. Chase let him. Reid had him pinned and Chase smiled down at him. He moaned softly and quibbed, "I like it when you're rough." Reid's glare darkened and he swiftly punched Chase, his movements a blur. Chase's smile didn't even falter; even when he lifted an arm to block Reid's second attempt, and then another arm to block his third. Chase quickly gripped Reid's upper arms and jerked him bodily to the side, quickly turning them around so that it was Reid who was pressed firmly against the wall. Reid first tried to shake Chase off, but when he realized, with a sickening sinking feeling, that Chase Collins was stronger, physically, than he, he tried something else. He tried to improve his strength with the Power, but his efforts only rustled Chase's hair, as if a soft breeze had blown into the room. Chase's hands slowly snaked up Reid's arms and gripped his neck painfully tight, pulling his head forward, while Chase's own body forced Reid's body to stay in place. They were close enough to kiss.

Reid's eyes momentarily widened, his own hands covering Chase's, desperately trying to pry them off. Slowly the blackness of his eyes faded away in unison with the oxygen in his lungs. Chase's heavy breath pressed against Reid's cheek as Reid squirmed in front of him, pain blossoming anew everytime Chase's hands shifted on his neck. "I predict that you, my rebellious little brother, are going to die from asphyxiation." Chase paused, flexing his hands against Reid's throat, satisfied only when a soft gasp escaped Reid's dried lips. "Do you know what that means? Asphyxiation is what happens when you can't breath properly. Such as coughing, and strangulation." He paused before continuing, smiling brightly as Reid's grip on his hands were beginning to soften. "Now, am I gonna strangle you to death?" Chase laughed sadistically, dipping his head closer to Reid's. "No. I like to think that I am much more creative than that," he boasted, swiftly releasing Reid's neck and stepping back as the boy collapsed to the ground, sucking in air greedily and coughing at the same time. His pale face was colored red, his hands pressed hard against the ground to keep his body off of it. His body shook violently with each painful cough, and a trembling hand clenched tightly at his heaving chest. "I am going to crucify you," Chase announced.


	4. Darkness there and nothing more

A/N: I dunno how I feel about this chapter. But shoot me a review and tell me how _you _feel about it.

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Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,  
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;  
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,  
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,  
That I scarce was sure I heard you " — here I opened wide the door; —  
Darkness there and nothing more.

The coffin was full of water, and it appeared several feet from both Chase and Reid. Reid was knelt on the ground beside the wall, and Chase had just physically tied his arms behind his back. Sure the kid had struggled, but Chase liked it when they struggled. Chase had torn Reid's clothes off of him and it unnerved the kid how his hands roamed. Chase knew that he wasn't going to violate Reid, because Tyler had been enough. But it didn't mean that he couldn't touch or feel the kid; he liked how Reid shivered everytime his hands grazed across his bare back.

"Would you like to know what we're about to do?" Chase asked him cheerfully, as he stepped back from the boy. Reid stumbled to his feet, lifting a heated gaze at Chase. Reid's only tactic with Chase had been silence, and since Chase's proposal he hadn't said a word; Chase must admit, he liked it better when they talked; but he must have gotten the raw end of the deal, because neither Tyler nor Reid talked. And Pogue too had grown silent after he'd realized that threats were useless. "It's a water cure," Chase continued. "They used to use it to control prisoners back when prisons first appeared." He then gestured toward the coffin. "Get in." Reid didn't move, but his his eyes had traveld from Chase's face to the coffin. "Don't be scared. It won't kill you." Reid's eyes returned to Chase's smiling features, his frown darkening. "Here, let me help you," Chase sighed.

He gripped Reid's upper arm tightly and jerked him forward. Reid drew back but Chase kept walking, dragging him with him. "Get in," Chase ordered, but even as he said it, he knew that Reid wasn't going to obey. Reid would never obey a direct order. He never listened to Caleb, and Caleb was looking out for him. How could he ever help Chase torture him? Chase shook his head and Reid disappeared, reappearing in the coffin. Reid jumped at his reappearance; and at the water that surrounded him. It was deep enough to drown him in; deep enough to summerge his entire head, forcing Reid to lift his head out of it. Chase appeared beside him, kneeling down beside the coffin. "Would you like to know how this works?" he asked. His voice was soft, gentle.

When Reid didn't answer. Chase placed a deliberate hand on his wet chest, and pushed it hard, forcing his head under. Reid was a swimmer, and he knew how to still his body, how to reserve his oxygen and stay under water for two minutes. But he wasn't thinking like a swimmer, he was thinking like a terrified teenager and he struggled like one. Wiggling violently beneath Chase's hand, but it was only when his struggles had slowly weakened that Chase pulled his head up by buring a hand in his hair. Reid sucked in air hungrily, choking and gasping in unison. His eyes were sharper when they were wet, blood shot and wide. "This is how it's going to go. I'm going to talk to you. And you _will _answer me. Or you will drown. How does that sound?" Reid didn't answer, his raspy breathing echoing around the empty room. "How does that sound?"

"Sadistic," Reid rasped. His voice was faint, weak; it definitely hadn't came from Reid Garwin because it didn't resemble his cocky, self-assured tone, in the least.

"Thank you," Chase murmured. "Now, would you like to hear what I have planned for you? For us." Chase waited but the boy before him remained silent. Reid's hands were pale, shaking, as they gripped the edge of the coffin. His arms shook as he strained to keep his torso out of the water. Chase shook his head, sighing dramatically but summerging Reid once more, pushing hard enough on his chest to leave a bruise. Reid struggled more violently the second time, but Chase waited patiently, until his convulses had almost ceased before pulling him back up. Reid spluttered, spitting up water; his face turning red as he coughed violently. Chase waited patiently until Reid's coughing died out. "Would you like to --"

"No," Reid interrupted, his voice hoarse. "I don't want to fucking --"

"You do not interrupt me," Chase snapped. "And I don't care what you want. Obviously. So I intend to share my diabolical plans with you, much as they do in the movies. I plan on being a very classical villain."

"You gonna die like they do in the movies?" Reid asked. He winced as Chase's hand tightened in his hair.

"I am going to _almost _drown you several more times," Chase told him conversationally. "And then the trials of your crucifixion will begin. We'll begin with scourging. Which means I get to beat you into oblivion. And then I'll nail you to a cross and hang you outside. Nobody will see you, but it'll still be fun. And I'll leave you there, as you find it harder and harder to breath, because you're lungs can't take in enough oxygen. You will die a slow death that will last many days. You will be in shock, due to the scourging, but it'll still be fun."

Reid screwed up his face in a frown. He was really going to die. Caleb wasn't going to come to him, just as he hadn't saved Tyler. As Tyler had been molested by this man, hoping in the back of his mind that his best friend would somehow appear. Reid's eyes bled black but Chase quickly submerged his head before he could do anything sufficient with the power coursing through his veins. Chase liked the feeling of Reid, this supposed bad boy, writhing beneath his fingers, his body convulsing involuntarily as his body filled with carbon dioxide, screaming desperately for more oxygen; to be cleansed. Reid didn't struggle. He opened his mouth, half gasping, half deliberately, and his silent scream was chased away by rushing water.

Chase shook his head and pulled Reid out of the water, dropping him onto the cold ground beneath them. Reid's eyes had gratefully slid closed and he had thrown himself at death, but Chase wasn't about to give him that satisfaction. He knelt beside the boy, and plugged his nose. He opened his mouth and breathed for him, stopping momentarily to pump on his chest. Yes, he could have used magic, but Chase preferred to reserve the Power for times of torture. Reid arched his back as he coughed up water. His back returned to the cold ground as he coughed violently, writhing beneath Chase's overbearing figure.

"If you wanted a little mouth to mouth," Chase commented when Reid had grown quiet. "All you had to do was ask." His hand found Reid's cheek and a smile found his lips as Reid fliched away from him.

"Don't fucking touch me," Reid breathed.

"But I like touching you," Chase smirked, running a gentle hand up Reid's ribs. Reid's breathing was heavy, his chest heaving with the struggle and glistening with water, his drenched hair falling away from Reid's face in a way that made Chase want to touch it. "Don't try that again," Chase told him quietly. His voice was soft but firm, and even Reid could hear the threat behind it. "Only I get to say when you die." Chase buried a hand in Reid's hair, holding the boy in place even has he tried to flinch away. A second hand captured Reid's elusive chin before Chase lent forward and pressed his lips against Reid's.

Reid jerked beneath Chase, but Chase ignored it, his hand tighteneing in his hair. He slipped his tongue past Reid's teeth, and explored the cavern beyond, unconsciously pulling on Reid's hair, forcing him to tilt his head back in a way that provided Chase with better access. He felt the body shift beneath his. Reid was a whore. He enjoyed pleasure, frequently and hadn't ever been ashamed of it before. But the deeper Chase made the kiss, the more he realized that he actually liked it.

He jerked his head to the side, wrenching his mouth away from Chase's, gritting his teeth as he pulled against the hand buried in his hair. "Just kill me," he whispered darkly.

"But I like touching you," Chase repeated, stroking Reid's stomach. "I think I'd like just a little more fun before I kill you. Wouldn't you?"

"No."

Chase shrugged, sitting back on his heels, staring down at Reid with an expression that he couldn't read. "Alright then," Chase replied sourly. "We'll just skip right to the scourging." He rose to his feet and stood hovering over Reid for a minute. "Get up."

The younger boy rolled onto his side and shoved himself onto his hands and knees as Chase took a step back, watching him struggle to rise. He stumbled to his feet a second time, glaring in the general direction of the patient fifth son of Ipswich. Chase stared at him for a moment with pupiless eyes, and then he moved. He gripped Reid hard enough to bruise and swung him back until hit hit a wall. Shackles grew out of the wall but Reid hadn't noticed; not until Chase spun him around and shoved his chest against the wall. His arms, moving of their accord found the shackles and the shackles embraced them tightly.

Reid didn't even stress the chains as he leaned his head heavily against the wall. A smirk returned to Chase's dark features as he stepped from the boy. Maybe Reid Garwin wasn't as hard to break as he thought he would be. Maybe he was already broken from the start and all Chase had been doing was smashing the pieces. Shattering them until not even dust remained. "So," Chase began, pacing back and forth behind Reid. "I've been watching you," he admitted nonchalantly. "I've noticed some things about you that I believe that both you and the Covenant refuses to acknowledge. And that's why I'm crucifying you."

"That's logical," Reid muttered, his cheek leaning against the cold wall before him.

Chase ignored him. "You use more than anybody else," he continued. "That goes without saying. You are addicted and if it hadn't been for Tyler's sudden...misfortune, you'd have Used recently. I'm proud of you, Garwin. You haven't Used in what...a week? And because of this you are severely weakened. I know you've noticed, the struggle it is just to care about the world around you. To move around -- just walking. To care about anything other than that body laying in that bed -- that you indirectly put there. I know you can feel it, itching inside of you like you need some sort of fix. Ascension will be your death. You will overdose." Chase paused but Reid didn't comment. "I believe that you also fear the Power far more than anybody else." The blonde snorted. "Seems implausible, right? Especially with Caleb's tyranny over everyone else. But I think that you fear what would happen should you, and you will, expose yourself. You don't want to experience what the Covenant did back in the day. And therefore I am going to impose their tortures upon you. Burning and drowning and stoning a person to death is far too quick a torturing device. I intend to kick it old school, and that is why we will begin with scourging."

Chase held his hand out to the side, and a whip began to materialize. The whip had nine tails, at each end was a metal tip. As soon as the whip was solid he swung it forward and buried the nine tails across Reid's back, a few wound around his frame and impaled themselves along his ribs. Reid yelped, gripping the shackles around his wrists tightly in a means to lessen the agony but it didn't work. Chase's grin darkened as he jerked the whip back, dragging the tails from Reid's skin, along with bits of the boy's flesh. Reid's sudden wounds rapidly filled with blood that pooled over the deep gashes and down his back, dying his pale skin crimson. "Don't-"

Chase swung forward again and cut Reid's sentence off at the stem, emitting a loud shout from the boy. Reid's head snapped forward, hitting the wall hard and blurring his vision. The metal dug into his back, burying itself within his skin and effectively severing that skin when Chase pulled it back. "The Jews used to have a law that claimed you could only give a man forty hits across the back," Chase said coversationally, the whip's tails falling still, drops of blood staining the ground. "They even had doctors on sight to make sure the condemned didn't die; not just yet. Pathetic mortals," Chase spat. "Don't worry, Reid, you won't die; not just yet." He swung forward again, receiving another yelp of pain. "I think I like your scream the best," he announced, jerking the whip back.


	5. I'm so scared

A/N: If you really wanted to see the extent of Reid's torture -- you can ask for it in a review. But i figured that reactions are more moving that actual horror. I hope it isn't a disappointment. This chapter is ultra short. I'm sorry, I know how frustrating that is. But you know (or I hope you do anyway...) that I'm good for a semi speedy update. So just review and...yeah...

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_No, I hear a knock at the front door  
Don't come in  
I try to look at you but I can't stop shaking  
Leave me alone just go away  
Mother I'm so scared  
I'm so scared_

_- Black Orchid; Blue October_

"Reid?" Caleb asked lowly, as he rounded another corner. It was as if the boy had just upped and disappeared. Caleb frozed, his thoughts returning to Chase. And then he saw it just outside Pogue's room, on the ground. The drops of blood. Caleb, supposed leader, was once again too late. He angrily turned around, more lost than he had ever been in his life. He tried quickly to think of a way out of this as he returned to Tyler's side. What was he going to do? Half the covenant was currently hospitalized. Not just half -- but one of the softest guys he has ever met and then the supposed peace keeper. His mother kept calling him about stupid shit that he had promised to do but never gotten around to it because his life was crumbling beneath his feet and he was free falling and all he wanted to do was cry. And now Reid Garwin had disappeared. Caleb was surprised with how pissed that made him. Reid was impulsive, careless, thoughtless and sometimes downright rude. But this was his brother. Blood. And it was the last straw. Only when you have nothing left are you free to do what is necessary.

When he returned to Tyler's room he was surprised to see the dull blue eyes watching him. "What?" Caleb asked, crossing the hospital room to stop beside Tyler's bed. The boy looked apprehensive; even beneath the bruises Caleb could read him like a book. Because Tyler was different. He didn't put on a face or hide his thoughts. He didn't lie and he didn't care about how soft that made him look.

"Where's Reid?" Tyler asked. His voice was surprisingly steady because he felt anything but steady. He felt terrified; suddenly grateful for all the times he'd waken up to Reid's reassuring words - to Reid's surprisingly soft hands stroking his sweaty face, or carressing his hair in a way that was so un-reid-like.

"What's wrong?" Caleb countered. His expression was firm, but Tyler saw the fear hidden in his dark gaze. Caleb was worried -- and that worried Tyler.

"I had a dream," Tyler said quietly. "I've been having a lot of dreams. It's probably nothing."

"What is it?" Caleb pressed. He felt like he should sit. Maybe backing away from Tyler and showing him that he was willing to listen, just as Reid had listened to all his previous dreams, would help the boy open up. But Caleb remained standing. Reid didn't do comfort but he knew how. Caleb didn't know how -- and he didn't do comfort.

"I dreamt of Chase," Tyler admitted quietly. Caleb nodded encouragingly. "He was nailing Reid to a cross." Caleb nodded again. "And I felt it, Caleb. I felt him scream. His voice was lost in the wind. But I felt him scream; it was so strong. It hurt."

"Do you think --" Caleb paused, clearing his throat before trying again. He wasn't good at asking others what they proposed. "Do you think that this is Covenant related? You think that Chase --"

"It sounds stupid," Tyler agreed, his eyes dropping away from Caleb's heavy gaze.

"Do you think that Chase is doing this?" Caleb asked. There was something in his voice, something that pulled Tyler's eyes back to his. There was no laughter or mockery in his voice, but there was something else. Trust. Tyler nodded curtly and Caleb returned his grim nod. "Then okay. Do you have...anything else. Anything that could --"

"Yes," Tyler answered quickly. "He's in front of that building -- in the middle of Death Row. Me and Reid used to go there when we were younger -- to get away from the pressures of life and smoke p--" Tyler's voice died out as he realized just who he was talking to.

Caleb didn't seem to notice. "Death Row?" He repeated. "How come I've never heard of --"

"Because we named it," Tyler interrupted a second time. He shoved the blankets back and stumbled to his feet. He paused, steadying himself, and waving Caleb away when Caleb rushed to his aid. Tyler stumbled over to Reid's overnight bag, and rummaged slowly through it. He quickly changed into a pair of Reid's blue jeans and a black hoody. He tried to ignore the essence of Reid that still resided in them. "I'm coming with you," he added and started for the door.

It was the most movement Tyler had done in four days, and he realized just how trying it all was; especially when Caleb came up behind him and pressured him into leaning on him. Caleb smelled nice, like after shave. Reid smelt different. He smelt like Power, a sort of pine tree smell, mixed with a suave shampoo that Tyler bought and this other smell -- something that was just Reid. Tyler breathed in deeply, sinking gingerly into the passanger seat of Caleb's car.

Death Row wasn't as far from the hospital as Tyler thought, and the second Caleb parked the car at the edge of the woodland Tyler was out of it, stumbling and limping forward, his breath coming in quick, short gasps. "Reid?" Tyler called out, the name coming out as a loud gasp. Caleb must have gone searching in a different direction because all Tyler could see were trees. All he could hear was himself. It was like the crickets and the birds and the wind itself had just died. "Reid!" He shouted, his voice raw with the effort of breathing. And then his foot caught onto a root and he fell forward. He yelped loudly right before his chin hit something hard. Hissing and jerking back in pain, Tyler realized that his chin had hit a bare foot. Tyler's head jerked up and he gasped, stumbling back to his feet. "Reid," he breath.


	6. Won't be unless you be

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Evidently I've got four other stories (plus like six other stories...) to update. This is a short chapter, and I apologize. But I'm almost done with the following chapter, so according to your reviews, you won't have as long a wait. On a better note -- who saw gossip girl last night? Dude. How hot is that nate archibald, really? Rapeable...Now...onto the story.

I won't breath unless you breath.

I won't bleed unless you bleed.

I won't be unless you be.

- Hollywood undead -- Circles.

Reid's skin was paler than usual, his lips fading away with a light purple tinge. His face and ribs were caked in blood; his forearms and ankles stretched taunt and tied to the cross with thick rope. His wrists were nailed to the cross, the blood crimson and fresh. He was naked, his toes barely touching the ground. His breathing was heavy and conflicted, making it impossible for him to draw in a full breath. "Reid," Tyler whispered, limping forward. He cupped the pale face in trembling hands and stroked the white cheeks affectionately with each thumb.

Reid's eyes fluttered open, revealing pale blue eyes dimmed with pain and disorientation. A faint smile forced his lips into movement, breaking away from his face and becoming prominent. "Baby boy," he rapsed softly. The sudden use of vocal cords sent sharp spikes of pain down his throat and he grimaced, his eyes sharper with evident pain. His words were faint but they forced a sad smile to Tyler's lips.

"I'm gonna get you out of this," Tyler promised softly. He felt a dark surge of power filling him up. Any normal person would dismiss it as anger or disgust, but Tyler knew better. It was addiction, waiting beneath the surfaces of his conscious mind. Waiting for him to need it. He fed that surge and the spikes binding Reid to the cross disappeared. Reid's breathing still hitched in pain as more weight was pushed onto his arms and ankles. The surge disappeared immediately and Tyler paused to steady himself. He felt like passing out but he'd be damned if that happened. Not now. Not when physical action mattered so much more than it ever had before. Trembling hands attempted to quickly untie the ropes that bound the blonde's ankles to the shard of wood. His ankles separated, Tyler's dreadful gaze drawn to the dark black of the bruises left in the wake of the ropes. He quickly rose and with numb fingers tried to detatch his arms but his hands were shaking too badly. "Fuck," he swore hoarsely.

Tyler could feel the lump building in his throat, and he tried desperately to swallow it down. But even as he did so his vision blurred with tears as his hands fumbled with the ropes. "Fuck," he gasped harshly. He briefly felt the surge of something tear away from him. The ropes disentegrated and Reid fell forward, his legs crumbling beneath his sudden weight. Tyler staggered back with the sudden weight, slowly sinking to the ground. "Reid," he gasped, clutching the boy against his chest. He quietly took in the marks that littered his best friend's back. His back wasn't pale, not how it'd always been whenever Tyler had seen it. In the dorms, or the locker rooms, whenever the boy took off his shirt, which had always been often for Reid. No, it wasn't pale anymore. It was a complete shade of red, the sharp dips the whip had left in its wake stood out, even in the sea of red. Sharp edges of his flesh, ready to fall away yet clinging to his body with blind hope that maybe it'd be able to fix itself. Be whole again. Healed. Yet knowing that there'd always be some sort of reminder of this recent horror. It'd never be able to completely heal. It'd still be broken in the morning.

Tyler's hand found Reid's hair and he ran a shaky hand through it. "This'll be okay," he told him, but his voice cracked and shattered completely. "I'm so sorry, Reid," he whispered into the blonde hair.

Caleb appeared behind Tyler and knelt beside the two. He made a sound low in his throat and growled, "he's itching for death." Tyler didn't notice the slight quiver to his growl. Caleb was unnerved, appalled and down right terrified. This was Reid Garwin. The one who laughs when people get hurt, and starts fights when he gets bored. Reid Garwin couldn't be vulnerable, or hurt, or...anything other than what he'd always been. It was disturbing, staring down at the pale boy buried in Tyler's trembling arms. Unmoving. He looked so fragile. A thing that Caleb was sure he had been immune to since birth. Evidently, Reid Garwin was human after all. Now all Caleb had to do was keep his eyes peeled for further signs of the inevitable apocalypse.

"He must be saving that for you," Tyler murmured, clutching Reid tighter to his chest. "Do you think he...tipped us off? Is that what the dream was? Just a fucking joke." Tyler could feel the anger building, but even as he considered it he truly hoped it were true. Because the simple thought that maybe Chase hadn't tipped them off was much worse. To think that Chase had nailed Reid to a cross and then intentionally left him to slowly die -- but surly die -- was much worse than his sadistic games. It meant he was ready to move on. He was ready to get what he wanted, and death was just one of those many things that he yearned for. He was ready for this to end. And the ending was sure to be worst than the beginning ever was.

Caleb grunted. He didn't know how to console the boy. Tyler was still shaking, bloody hands trying to hold onto Reid without actually grazing his mangled back. "Here," he grunted as he scooped Reid into his arms. He didn't miss the look of disapproval that crossed Tyler's features. "Lets go," he added as he marched off in the direction of his car, carrying Reid bridal style; Tyler following closely behind, trying hard not to notice the way his best friend had turned in toward Caleb's chest, his head pressed against the older boy. Caleb in turn tried to ignore how cold Reid's body had become, how he clung to his shirt with a weak grasp. He tried to ignore just how Reid's naked body felt against his own.

Tyler climbed quickly into the backseat of the Hummer and Caleb gently laid Reid down beside him. Tyler took his head in his lap, and stroked his soft blond hair, a shaky voice whispering sweet nothings to the boy before him. He almost wished Reid were unconscious. The pale face kept scrunching up in pain, as soft wimpers and grunts escaped his chapped lips. It seemed like every rock, every dip and every turn in the road was amplified and Tyler grimaced everytime he felt Reid shift against him and hiss, trying to arch his back away from the seat of the car and failing miserably. His body shook with his wasted effort and he exhausted quickly, resuming his previous position with a grunt of pain and frustration.

It was Caleb who carried Reid into the hospital, Tyler falling behind with exhaustion. But all too soon the body was taken from them and rushed off to the ER, forcing the remaining sons of Ipswich into an uncomfortable silence as they waited in the pathetically depressing waiting room. Tyler had collapsed into a chair, his legs limp before him, his pounding head resting heavily on the back of the chair. His eyes were closed but Tyler willed himself to stay awake.

Caleb paced impatiently in front of him. He was caught up in his own thoughts, his own anger and frustration that kept him silent. There was one positive to what happened. Chase had simply ran out of friends. Sarah was always looming over him, of course, but Caleb was sure that he wouldn't go for her. No, she was bait for what was to come later. And Kate was out of the picture, just as Pogue was. All Chase had left was him -- Caleb. And Caleb could deal with his own pain a whole lot better than he could deal with that of his Covenant. His family.

Tyler had slipped into an uncomfortable sleep, plagued with vague nightmares and insecurities that kept him from really resting and when he jerked awake several hours later Caleb was still pacing. "Reid?" Tyler grunted, as he stared up at the apprehensive boy before him. Shifting in his seat, Tyler noticed that Sarah was sitting beside him.

Caleb jerked his head up to stare down at the younger boy with an intensity that made Sarah flinch back. Tyler didn't even blink. "No, nothing," he mumbled. "His doctor came out an hour ago to tell me that it isn't critical so we might as well go home. You should go back to my house, Tyler," he added softly. They both knew the younger boy wouldn't be able to go back to the dorms alone ever again, much less actually manage to sleep in them. "You look tired. You've moved more in the past six hours than all week, Ty."

"The nightmares'll still find me at your house," Tyler grunted. He still wouldn't get any sleep there. Caleb nodded slowly. Tyler never crossed Caleb but they both knew that regardless of what he said, Tyler wasn't leaving. "What'd the doctor say was wrong? Specifically."

"He needed a lot of stitches," Caleb said somberly. "His back is gonna be scarred forever. He lost a lot of blood. He said there was something wrong with him breathing for an elongated time and that could've affected his organs. But even if Reid physically pulls through the psychological damage is gonna be massive."

"He say when we'll be able to see him?" Tyler asked tentatively, glancing over at Sarah. The blonde was studying him silently. She knew it was a matter of their family. It was something they had to deal with alone and she didn't want to become a sudden burden by talking out of turn.

"No," Caleb sighed. He looked downright frustrated, but his pacing had stilled momentarily as he addressed the younger boy. "They're still trying to patch up his..." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "His back. They say he's awake. So I guess that's a good sign."

"I'm sure he's not gonna see it that way," Tyler murmured. He opened his mouth to ask another of the countless questions spinning around in his head, but a doctor materialized behind Caleb. The older son turned quickly, following Tyler's gaze. His hardened gaze struggled to soften but he new he'd failed.

"He's fine," the doctor said quickly, trying to escape another intense arguement with Caleb. "He's stable," he corrected himself quietly. Tyler struggled to his feet, with help from Sarah, and the two made their way over to Caleb's side. His breathing was hard and the doctor stared at him in alarm. "Are you alright, son?"

"No," Tyler answered curtly. "Can we see him?" he asked quietly. He knew his voice quivered but he chose to ignore that. "Please?" he added.

The doctor stared at Tyler for a moment and then nodded slowly. "He's on pain medication," he warned them as he led the sons and Sarah to Reid's room. "So, if he's out of it, don't be too concerned just yet. It's probably just a side affect of the medications. The medical staff is still unsure of the extent of his damage. Physicaly, he's stable. And we've searched his body extensively for any further damage. There doesn't seem to be any, as far as we can tell." Caleb recognized the veiled warning that Tyler chose to ignore. _Don't get your hopes up. Reid could still be fucked beyond repair_. Tyler slipped into the room first as Caleb turned to talk to the doctor.


	7. Moral inferiority

A/N: Disgustingly short chapter. I am so sorry. Somebody wanted fluff. Somebody wanted Tyler/Reid. And I wasn't sure i would -- with this story. But maybe I will. More soon, I promise.

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_The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot. _

_ Mark Twain_

Reid was lying in the bed, a limp fist at his side, another hand splayed protectively over his bandaged ribs. The thin blanket wrapped tightly around his frail frame, pooling at his hips, exposing his bare chest. The bruises, blackened with time, stood out against his skin. Skin that, Tyler was suddenly grateful for, was no longer chalk white. Reid's wrists were bandaged and his forearms, where the rope had cut into him, were blackened with bruises and marred with tiny cuts where the skin had torn. Reid's neck was bruised, his collar bone a deep purple. His face was marred with varying bruises and cuts. Tyler knew this wasn't the worst of his abuse. He knew that Reid was currently lying on the worst of his abuse, floating high above the inevitable pain. "Ty?" The voice came out in a hoarse whisper that somehow managed to cross the room before fading. The voice was different, uncertain, soft, almost fragile. It hurt Tyler's heart to hear it like that.

Tyler limped across the room and paused beside the bed, willing himself to remain on his feet, too scared to see what would happen if they both were to cave into their weaknesses. That could mean serious world destruction, and Tyler refused to be responsible for the implosion of life as we know it. The bruises looked worst now that he could see them clearly. Peering down, he managed to see the bandages encircling his ribs, the damaged hand that rested gently on top of those bandages, a hand that Reid had broken on Chase's face. "How you feeling?" Tyler asked softly, staring down into those pale blue eyes. Reid's gaze seemed different, wary. The gaze made him look ten years older yet the look of confusion and helplessness that kept flitting across Reid's pale face made him look like a lost little child.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Reid rasped. Nope, now he was suddenly seventeen again. "They've actually got me hooked on morphine or some shit. It's actually kind've nice. Makes me feel all fuzzy and warm inside. Like I could go off and hug a grizzly bear and still manage a smile." The pain hadn't reached him, not yet. And the memories of Chase, the memories that he saw everytime his eyes slipped closed, didn't quite manage to effect him. Not yet, anyway.

"Jesus, Reid," Tyler murmured as he collapsed into the plastic chair beside the bed. It was now that Reid noticed Tyler's eyes were rimmed red and glassy. His hands were shaking as he clutched the arms of the chair, trying, and failing, to force his hands to still. His usually bronze face was pale and drawn in concern and remorse. "I thought you'd died," he said quietly, his voice breaking slightly when he said the last word. He couldn't get the image of his best friend nailed to a cross out of his head. He couldn't unsee all the blood that had covered the pale boy; he couldn't forget the suffocating fear that had seized his heart when he saw the blonde -- when he'd been sure Reid was dead. He felt like crying.

"I'm sorry," Reid told him in a soft rasp. He shifted and Tyler lifted his gaze at the movement, a small smile gracing his worn features. Reid's hand was palm up, offering itself to him, his other hand still protecting his ribs from evils yet unseen. Tyler took his hand in his own and held it gently, tracing the skin on the back of the hand with his thumb. His knuckles were bruised and Tyler's fingers danced across the deep color. The gentle contact, the first in the previous 24 hours, felt nice, and Reid felt his eyes slip close as the drugs took their full affect on him. "I knew you'd find me, Ty," he mumbled in a drunken slur. He was suddenly tired, so close to the edges of sleep, but he felt the need to tell Tyler something first. "You know why?" Tyler was silent, watching Reid closely. "Because you're my best friend, Ty. I'd die without you."

"You almost did," Tyler mused softly. He was thrown off by Reid's sudden sincerity. Sure, the boy had revealed his appreciation for Tyler before, but it'd always been a curt 'Thanks', or a quick smile of relief. It hadn't ever been so blunt before.

"I almost did," Reid repeated. "But not with you, baby boy," he mumbled, reaching out a hand to brush it clumsily across Tyler's cheek. Tyler covered the pale hand with his own and pulled it away before the blonde managed to poke him somewhere that didn't allow access to fingers. "And you know what, baby boy?" Reid's head bobbed slightly, his eyes opening into slits, as he lifted his hand again, to drag it across Tyler's chin and finger his cheek. Tyler let him this time. His voice had dropped in volume, coming out as a harsh whisper that somehow sounded gentle. "I love you. I love you more than anybody I've ever loved before. I don't think I've ever loved anybody before but if I did -- I would totally love you more. Always."

Tyler could feel the heat rising in his cheeks but he pushed the rising feelings away. "It's the drugs talking," he mumbled, more so to himself than to Reid.

Reid tried to shake his head but stopped suddenly as nausea set in. His hand dipped down, his fingers dancing across Tyler's lips."No. I mean it. I love you, man. So much."

"You're tired, Reid," Tyler murmured, covering Reid's hand with his own again and pulling it away. He gently stroked the back of his hand with his thumb. "You should get some rest."

Tyler moved forward to place Reid's hand back onto the bed, but Reid refused to relinquish his hold on the brunette's hand. "Don't leave me, Ty," he whispered. "Don't let me go. I - I like how it feels." He lifted both their hands for emphasis. "You...touching me. It feels gooood."

"I won't leave," Tyler promised, and Reid believed him. "I'll stay right here, okay?"

"That's why I love you," Reid mumbled sleepily as he sighed heavily. "You're always there...just because...just..." Reid's voice dropped off as he finally slipped away. And Tyler watched him sleep. He failed to notice that he wasn't the only one watching Reid sleep.


	8. Dream a little dream of me

The room was dark, stray rays of sunlight filtered in past the cracked boards and dusty blinds. It was familiar. It would always be familiar to him. He was in the foyer of the abandoned mansion in Death's row. The building was supposed to be haunted but Reid knew for a fact that it wasn't. The last family who had lived there was supposed to have been killed by some vengeful spirit. Tyler had been dared by Abbott to spend the night in this building when he was twelve, and Reid had vowed to accompany him. Power or not, Reid Garwin had the ability to make Tyler feel safe regardless of the situation. Of course, Reid spent the entire night experimenting with his newly acquired Power and feeding the growing haunted mythology surrounding the house.

The dusty aged couch was still beside the wall where it had been the last time he was there. How many times had he fallen asleep on that couch, too scared and shamed to return home? His blood still shone bright against the aged yellow of the couch when the sun hit it at the right angle. He'd learned at an early age that sometimes when a female threw things she didn't always miss. The first time he'd stumbled into this building after a long night, his throat raw from yelling, his hand bloody and his head throbbing, he'd learned that healing was not amongst their special talents.

During the summer before their sophomore year, Reid had tried to stop pot, alcohol and Using within the same month stretch and when he'd become too agitated or on the brink of giving into the urges Tyler would always force him to Death's Row. It was always easier to handle the addictions when he was in the middle of nowhere, with Tyler, but that didn't mean that he always went quietly. Reid knew more than anyone else that Tyler could take a punch fairly well for a boy not completely accustomed to fighting. He also knew how hard Tyler could punch back in turn.

He remembered how he'd always fall asleep on this couch, shaking and covered in sweat, and Tyler would be kneeling beside him, rubbing his back in soothing circles, draping an old frail blanket over him and brushing his sweat drenched hair away from his pasty forehead, while nursing a bruised jaw of his own. He wouldn't say anything, no fabricated reassurances, but he would stay there, rubbing his back, seemingly devoid of any grudges he should hold against the blonde until the boy fell back to sleep.

Reid hadn't Used his entire sophomore year because of the withdrawal he'd experienced the summer before. But the call was too strong and when he finally broke he nearly exposed the covenant and almost killed a student. He and Tyler had gotten into a nasty fight because Reid hadn't just Used, he had also Used on Tyler, a thing he hadn't ever done before. He went three months avoiding and ignoring Reid, even after the blonde had nearly begged for his forgiveness. Their fight almost broke the covenant apart because they refused to be in the same room together and ended up avoiding the other two members of the covenant. And even at their young age, they could all feel the aftershocks of Reid's excessive Using. They all felt his addiction and desires radiating from his deteriating form. Reid didn't notice the effects his Using really had on Tyler. He didn't notice their connection. And because Tyler was avoiding him, he didn't notice that Tyler's form was also deteriating and the boy was also battling an addiction he hadn't earned. And then Reid called Tyler, crying and covered in blood. And they fell back together, sealing their broken pieces seamlessly back together and managing to immediately crawl closer than they had been before their spat. Each boy had changed severely, but they also provided that other half that had been lacking during their fight. Reid was normal, yet suddenly conscientitious of his Using, and significantly kinder toward the younger boy. Tyler was also normal, but quieter, calmer. He no longer flanked Reid in the way he once had. He refused to depend upon the blonde for a long time. They complimented each other severely and that was a relationship they needed. One they would fight for no matter how many times they had to fight.

"Ah, memories." Reid spun around, already know what he would see. The only person capable of instilling fear into the blonde. Chase Collins was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, a cheerful smirk twisting his face. "You see, when it comes down to Caleb, I'm gonna have to take our little skirmish to Putnam barn. And he isn't being very corporative. He refuses to sleep, but don't you worry, _when _he does, he will be far weaker. Easier to manipulate. Easier to use." Chase licked his lips slowly, leering at the blonde in a way that made Reid Garwin feel dirty. "But you and Tyler...I get to have some fun traumatizing the two of you." He shoved away from the wall and slowly walked closer, taking small, deliberate steps. "Tyler is never going to be able to go back into a dormroom without remembering what exactly happened last time he was there. And you? All these memories you have of this place. You'll never look at this building the same way ever again. No, the release you felt when you were younger is now lost. All you'll see is me." Chase lifted a hand to cup Reid's cheek but the boy flinched away. He laughed quietly, stepped forward, and gripped Reid's cheek tightly in his hand. "Your doctors seem to think the psychological damage is too excessive. They're not telling Caleb, but they fear for the worst." His thumb stroked Reid's pale cheek gently. "They must not know about all the psychological trauma you've already experienced with your mother. They don't know you're already damaged."

"Fuck you," Reid swore, roughly knocking Chase's arm away, his face screwing up into a scowl that somehow managed to convey every twisted, violent, pure raw emotion he felt churning through his incredibly tense body. "What the fuck am I --"

"Patience," Chase purred. "I was so busy last time with setting an example for Caleb, that I forgot to satisfy myself with your company before you died. Don't get me wrong, Reid. I did enjoy hearing you scream." He paused, wetting his lips once more. "Made me want to do other unspeakable things to that body of yours." Another pause as his eyes wandered over Reid's lean, pleasantly white chest; his defined abs, tight stomach, prominent hips that Chase wanted to do nothing more than dig his nails into. His eyes danced over the visible tattoes before returning to Reid's icy blue glare. "It was nice seeing your pride burned away as you begged me to stop." He took a step forward and Reid forced himself to remain still. "And seeing you cry," he added, reaching a hand forward to brush across Reid's dry cheek. "Orgasmic."

Reid shuddered. His thin hospital issued pants did little to keep the cold air of fall away. His chest was bare, but the white bandage that was supposed to be encircling his ribs had disappeared. His gaze fell and he shivered. "I must be dreaming," he mumbled, slowly reaching a hand out to touch his ribs.

His head snapped back up at Chase's sardonic laugh. The older boy surged forward and shoved him hard with inhuman strength. He was thrown back and hit a wall, letting out a pained yelp. "Smart boy," Chase purred, appearing inches before Reid. Faster than Reid could move, the older boy reached down and pulled him roughly to his feet, slamming him hard against the wall. "It usually takes Tyler a good ten minutes before he realizes he's dreaming. He's a fun toy to play with."

"Sick fuck," Reid wheezed, reaching a hand down to grasp his healed ribs as he struggled to quickly regain the air that Chase had forced out of him.

Chase nodded in agree and then pressed closer. The blonde tense as Chase's mouth came closer to his ear until they were practically pressed flush against one another. "I do tend to be, don't I?"

Reid shoved Chase back, glaring at the older boy. "This is stupid," he told him quietly, his back presse firmly against the cold stone wall behind him, his voice tight with irritation. "We never...we never did anything to you."

"No," Chase agreed. "Tyler was even nice sometimes. You ignored me. That hurt," he added, placing a hand over his heart while Reid scoffed. "But poor little baby boy was actually conscientious of my feeling, careful not to offend. But that's what makes it fun." He gave a bark of laughter, smiling brightly into Reid's disgusted glare. "Don't act like you don't deserve this. I've seen the destructive path of hurt you leave everywhere you go, Garwin. Everything you touch dies. You deserve everything I've done to you. More, even."

"I don't hurt _everyone_," Reid mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest, his eyes darkening with an emotion Chase didn't recognize.

"I've seen the scars on Tyler," Chase whispered, a smile stretching his sinister features. "In great detail. I know exactly how that boy got them. I've seen it all." He licked his lips, leaning forward slightly. "The boy closest to you is the one hurting the most. Those girls hate being one night, one time flings of _the _Reid Garwin. But at least they get to walk away with something they wanted in the first place. At least they get to fool themselves into thinking they used you instead of the other way around. But what about Tyler?"

"Don't," Reid ordered quickly but his request went unnotice and Chase didn't even pause to acknowledge him.

"He keeps pouring himself into this relationship, and you don't pay any attention to him."

"That's not true," he spat.

"Did he tell you that he's been dreaming about me for three months now? Living and reliving all these horrid things I do to him. Did you even notice how his eyes are darker, rimmed red sometimes. How he's gotten paler and quieter. How he lost his appetite two weeks ago and has been dropping weight rapidly since."

"You're lying," Reid hissed but even as he did so he knew he wasn't. Images, memories flashed rapidly across his mind. A paler, sicker Tyler that he had tried to ignore, that he tried to dismiss.

"I know you saw that beautiful skin of his in the shower," Chase continued, his voice growing huskier as his lips drew closer to Reid. "You saw those bruises, those cuts...those welts. Did you think you could blink them away? Did you really think you were seeing things? Or did you just not care enough to confront the boy?"

"Of course I care," Reid argued defensively, his body growing rigid, straighter. Of course he cared about Tyler. There was not another peson in the 'Verse that he cared about more than his baby boy.

"He was begging you to ask," Chase purred. "He was begging you to pry just a little bit. Just give him a reason to crumble; to confess. Give him an out so he wouldn't feel like such a pussy when he did confess. That's all he needed, a little prodding. But you were too busy. Too self-involved. and yet that boy still held faith in who he thought was his best friend. Delusional kid."

"Stop it," Reid spat, practically begged. Chase's lips split into a wide, vicious smile as he edged closer. Reid's body was cold but Chase pressed closer just to feel the tense body beneath him.

"That night that I put Pogo stick in a coma, he wanted one night with you. Because he was foolish to think that maybe if you were in the dorm you'd be able to wake him before the dreams got twisted too far beyond his control. And you couldn't even give him that. _Everything _you touch dies."

"You didn't have to touch him," Reid growled, pushing against the older boy. Chase pressed closer, lowering his mouth to Reid's ear.

"Yes. I did," Chase purred, his breath hot against the boy's ear. His smile widened when he felt the badass shudder beneath him. "We needed a casualty of war. The boy is broken. You haven't noticed that yet but you will. He is a fun toy to play with because he bends, and he strains and he wimpers in a way that all the other new and shiny toys do not." A slick tongue brushed against his pale ear and he shivered against the warm body. "You will break too." The voice was dropping rapidly in volume, sleek and smooth with a soft edge that made Reid's stomach churn painfully. "At that moment that you realize just how lost your best friend is. That moment that you realize it's all your fault and you cannot stop it or reverse it, or make it better...that is the moment that you will break. And I will return to repossess what is rightfully mine."

White teeth grazed his white ear and bit down until they drew blood. "You boys think this is all about Caleb. But all I want from him is his Power." Fingers ghosted over the taunt skin of Reid's abdomen. Nails raked across his healed ribs in unison with the teeth that grazed across his neck. "I want something else," Chase confessed into the blonde's neck. "I want to be there when you break yourself. That's why I'm doing this. All of it."

Reid couldn't concentrate as the hand slipped past the hem of the thin pants and enclosed him in a firm, warm grip. He didn't feel the teeth scrape his neck painfully hard. He did feel Chase sink his teeth into his tender skin. He was losing himself and a part of him didn't seem to mind. A part of him wanted this, had always wanted this. Not Chase -- but that something bigger, something forbidden, something provitable.

"Reid?" The blond shook his head, gazing over Chase's shoulder with half lidded eyes as the boy's teeth bit into him harder. But the pain was dull and easily forgotten in the pleasure that Reid vaguely yearned for. "Reid! Wake up."

"What?" Reid gasped, his voice slurred.

"I said wake up." The voice was Chase's this time, but the blonde was sure it hadn't been his before. His lips were red as he purred into the blonde's ear. The body was closer but the blonde wasn't pushing him away anymore. "Wake up!" Chase stepped back but Reid couldn't identify the absence of the pleasure he fumbled drunkenly for. Chase's fist punched out hard against his chest, knocking the air out of him and his eyes snapped open but he knew he hadn't ever closed them.

Reid jerked awake gasping, a trembling hand clutching his chest, a foggy mind trying to identify the burning sensation he felt arising from his neck. "Reid?" Tyler's head was hovering above him, blocking out the blinding light. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Goddamnit," Reid rasped, sinking down into the bed beneath him, trying to quickly control his breathing and shaking.

"What is it?" Tyler demanded, as he gently pried Reid's hand away from his chest. Reid couldn't help noticing the boy's underlying gentle nature, despite his panic. Beneath his palm was a deep purple fist sized bruise. "That wasn't there last night," Tyler informed him, his voice quickly regaining its composure. "What happened?"

"Just a dream," Reid assured him quietly, absently massaging his newly formed bruise. He grimaced every time his fingers pressed to hard.

"With physicaly repercussions?" Tyler pressed, no longer attempting to hide his irritation.

"And psychological ones too, I'm sure," Reid bit out, studying Tyler's face closely. "Stop looking at me like that," he said after a moment of tense silence.

"Like what?" Tyler sighed, sinking back into his chair. His face was still pale, dark bags beneath his eyes constrasting severely with his complexion. His hair looked worn, belying just how many times he'd ran his hands through it. He was wearing yesterday's clothes, clothes that Reid recognized as his own.

"Like I'm about to fall apart," Reid told him quietly. "Like I'm some fragile kid who might break apart if your voice is too loud. I'm not fragile, Tyler."

"I know that, Reid," Tyler told him. His voice was quiet, but firm. "I never said --"

"Then stop using that voice," Reid interrupted. "You only use it when you think I'm hurt. I'm not hurt, Tyler."

"Right," Tyler snapped. His gentle voice had ebbed away entirely, just as Reid had wanted it to. "The welts gouged into your back are just for show."

Reid shook his head. "Whatever," he muttered, turning his head away from Tyler.

But in that action he showed Tyler exactly what he didn't want the boy to see and hissed as his skin pulled taunt. Tyler was on his feet before Reid could sheild the mark he knew was in his neck. He didn't know what it looked like, but he knew it was worst than a hickey. "What is that?" Tyler demanded, reaching a hand out to touch the darkened cut on Reid's neck.

"Nothing," Reid said stiffly, swatting Tyler's hand away. He replaced his own hand at his neck, half in comfort, half in shielding. "Just leave me alone."

Tyler shook his head, and roughly pulled Reid's hand down. The cut was deep, a definite form of a teeth. The bruise was already well developed, purple except for the red of the teeth marks. But the mark was wet with saliva, and still slowly oozing blood. "Just a fucking dream," Tyler spat, running his fingers along the mark and forcing a wince from Reid. He didn't know the boy winced more at his sharp tone instead of the pressure he was placing on the raw hickey. And then the brunette spun quickly and strode out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him.

Of course Reid knew that Tyler knew exactly what was going on. He'd already experienced it, but he was doing to Reid what the blonde hadn't ever done to him. He was giving him an out. He was giving him the attention that the blonde needed and Reid was throwing it back in his face. Reid Garwin was rarely sorry, but when he heard the door creek open ten minutes later, he was ready to say those two fatal words.

The words died in his throat when he realized that Tyler hadn't returned. It was a man he recognized immediately. A man he hadn't seen in seven years. A man he had forced himself to forget, but couldn't ever forget enough. "Hey son."


	9. Amazing

Can we pretend I'm amazing?

Instead of what we both know.

-- Blue October

"What are you doing here?" The question didn't sound as sharp or as angry as Reid wanted it to. The emotions were boiling beneath the surface, all mixing and melting into one massive affliction. He should have been ready to explode. Instead he just felt tired, exhausted and fed up. For the first time in his life, he just wanted to quit. End. Game. He drew in a deep breath that rattled against his dry throat before inflating his lungs. The breath escaped his peeling lips in one short puff. With the breath escaped his substance. He felt empty. Cold. Alone. And he hated it. He pulled the blanket closer, held it tighter and shivered beneath it even though he was no longer cold.

"Caleb called me," Robert admitted. He strode forward into the room without invitation. He looked good, better than Reid remembered. A nice slick suit, like he'd had to squeeze in visiting his nearly fatally injured son right before his lunch break. Blonde hair that mirrored his son's was slicked back, not a hair out of place. His skin was pale but it looked darker than his son's. But Reid did look sickly pale; pale pink patches discoloring his cheeks. He had bed hair that curled awkwardly across his line of vision.

"Caleb should mind his own fucking business." The statement was just that -- a statement. Flat and indifferent. He would have blamed it on the drugs but everytime he moved he had to bite back the hiss of pain. Because the pain was there. His drugs had dimmed the pain but the drugs were wearing off and he was too tired to ask for more. He should have been pissed, on fire with intense hatred, but he didn't feel it. It was all so dull. His emotions, his pain, his anger and resentment that he should feel. At Caleb. At Chase. At his own father. It was all so dull and far away.

"No," Robert argued. "The boy did the right thing. I wanted to see if you were alright, son." His eyes surveyed the pale boy. He hadn't changed much in the past seven years. His face had filled out, losing that childish aspect. The blatant innocence wasn't there anymore. It was just gone, and Robert supposed that should have had some kind of affect on him. Made him sad or something. But it didn't. He didn't feel anything for the loss of this boy's innocence.

Reid's body was thin, but not as thin as it had been before. His muscle was apparent beneath the deep bruising and swelling. He was paler than he had been as a child, but Robert reasoned that the color was merely because his son was sick. His eyes were rimmed red, his cheeks pale even beneath the bruising. He looked vulnerable. He looked like a cild. And for the first time in seven years, Robert wanted to comfort him - to hug him and apologize. A purple bite mark on his pale neck forced a grimace from Robert. He didn't want to think about what had happened to Reid. It wouldn't help anybody. Wouldn't make any of this easier.

"I'm fine," Reid managed. He would have smiled but it took too much effort, and his stomach was busy twisting violently at the look of concern on his father's face. A look that shouldn't have been foreign to him but was.

"I'd like to see that for myself, kid," Robert admonished, venturing closer and trying to make it look natural. He failed but managed to look awkward.

"Like you care." Reid almost sighed, grimacing when the rise of his chest pulled too much at his muscles and skin. He weakly shifted a hand on top of his ribs but the movement failed to comfort his sore body and he gasped quietly when he moved his crushed hand too roughly.

"I do care," Robert said. "You've grown a bit, huh kid? How old are you now? Sixteen? Seventeen? Maybe even ascended?" Reid ignored the question and turned his head away. He acknowledged the audible sigh and ignored it. "I received a call from you mother," he said. "She's worried."

"When she's sober," Reid agreed. "It never lasts. Stress is too...stressful for mom. you know that; that's why you introduced her to the finest liquor available to man." Reid's eyes darted away from Robert's face and he missed the changing emotions taking place in front of him. Instead he focused on his hands, in his lap and across his stomach. He focused on the loose string on the blanket beneath his numb fingers, and he tried to idly twist the string but he couldn't feel his fingers and that made him clumsy. He focused on the interweaving blue fibers that made up the frail hospital blanket. He focused on the purple and the red of the skin that darted out from beneath the bandage encaging his hand. He focused on the aches and pains that were beginning to break through his stupor and how guilty he should feel about chasing Tyler away. He focused on the little changes within the boy that had occurred without Reid noticing. He wondered dimly how hard those changes will be to reverse. If it were even possible to fix Tyler. To make him who he used to be. He focused on how much he missed the past – how he wanted to return to school. Return to slacking off and watching Tyler from afar. He wanted to be normal once more. Without Chase. And without his father. Without Caleb's concern hanging over him like a cloud, threatening to smother him and save him from this misery. He was just beginning to wonder exactly how fucked up he was when his father's voice broke through his concentration. Concentration was so hard. Harder than normal and he blinked.

"Don't blame your mother's problems on me," Robert told Reid in an authoritive voice. He had almost forgotten how much he hated that voice. He hated it more coming from a man who had discarded him. So easily. "You weren't help for her either. Disappearing for months at a time. She told me you've just left her alone in that big house for the past six months, Reid. You know how your mother deals with isolation."

"You don't give a fuck how mom deals with isolation," said Reid. "You abandoned her first."

"That excuses how you treat her?" Robert asked. "You've done her no better."

Reid frowned, trying to force his face into a glare and failing miserably. He instinctively tried to shove himself into a sitting position but fresh waves of pain tore through him and he gasped. His back was on fire and sharp stabs of pain erupted across his ribs. Robert was at his side, a heavy hand forcing him back to the bed, but causing a new strain of pain in its wake. He tried to escape the hand, to arch his burning back away from the bed, but Robert possessed strength Reid no longer did. "Don't touch me," Reid gasped and Robert jerked away from him as if he'd been burnt. "I didn't abandoned her," he growled. Pain spiked through his throat but his brain didn't process it. "She fucking abandoned me." His voice broke violently.

Who knew you could sum up your entire existence in two sentences? But what else was he supposed to say? He'd torn himself apart trying to please that woman, trying to make her happy, make her better. The emotional trauma he'd experienced because of his mother did more to him than just shape him into the person he currently was. His father wasn't there. He didn't know what it felt like -- to have to coax your own mother into taking her medication just so she would acknowledge him, just so she'd want to see him. His father didn't know how he used to cook for her, and clean up after her, and beg her to shower unassisted. He didn't know what that did to a child. To force a thirteen year old to not just live a totally unassisted life, not just to do his own homework with her help, ignore his nightmares without her comfort, feed himself and find his own transportation to school...without her -- but to also have to do all these things for his mother. Things she had already refused to do for him. He just didn't understand it. The last thing Reid had wanted to do was abandon her. He hadn't wanted to let her go, but she'd already tried to leave him. Never again could he invest himself in that woman, not after she'd tried to kill herself.

His father couldn't see any of it. He couldn't see how much Reid had needed his mother's approval. He couldn't know how much he missed her touch. Or how he longed for her to run her hand through his hair, or rub his head like she used to when he'd crawl into her bed and complain about a stomach ache. He yearned to be hugged again, to be craddled and comforted. And each passing day that lacked such comfort is a day in which that hole in his chest, that hole annihilating his heart, left by the loss of his father and the rejection of his mother, grows. He was coming to realize the fear that maybe one day that hole would be too big to ever fill. What if that hole becomes him? What if that's all he ever has? Just a hole. A nothing. Just empty space yearning to be filled but never quite managing it.

"Look," Robert sighed. He shifted uncomfortably but Reid didn't see the agitated movement. "I'm sorry, kid, alright? It's the fucking Covenant. Nothing good has ever come of it."

_Just the prolonged existence of our families_..."It's not the fucking covenant," Reid bit out, curling a fist around the blanket. It hurt, to grasp at something, anything, but he didn't stop. His fist curled tighter. "The covenant didn't make you an asshole. And it didn't make mom a flake. Family doesn't do that to people."

"Family?" Robert repeated, his face breaking out into a smile. A mocking smile. "They're your family now," he agreed . "But when the dust settles, your real family, your real blood, will be all you've got left."

"Don't see how that's possible," Reid mumbled. "I don't have you now. I won't have you then. Just because your covenant saw you for what you --"

"They'll mirror their fathers," Robert interrupted.

"Fuck that." Whatever indifference he'd had before had deteriated completely and the anger coursing through his body was making it ache. He couldn't make himself relax, not with this man in his room. "Get out."

"Damnit Reid," Robert snapped harshly and Reid flinched. "I was concerned for you. Your mother has been crying herself dry for the past six hours, fearing that her only son is dead. And all you can do is lie there and drudge old grudges. I was naive enough to hope that maybe you'd matured since the last time I'd spoken to you."

"I have," Reid said. "I understand now that you've got nothing I want. I don't need you, and probably never have. I'm mature enough to know when to cut loose excess baggage that can't do anything more than weigh you down. I cut you loose, father. You don't ever have to talk to me again. Now go away."

Robert shook his head, momentarily speechless, rearranging his face into the anger Reid had first anticipated. "This is what I fucking get for showing concern."

"You had your chance," Reid told him softly. "Should've showed concern two years ago, when I needed it." _Maybe then I wouldn't be plagued with nightmares every fucking night. Maybe then I wouldn't have to isolate myself in fear that my friends will abandoned me, like my family. _"You fucked me up. So you can take your concern and choke on it."

Like clockword, Tyler quietly slipped into the room. His face was rearranged into an expression that Reid couldn't identify. The boy looked pissed, but it was more of a resigned, quiet sort of pissed. Reid didn't know who the boy was pissed at, but he felt like apologizing either way. It was his fault. It was always his fault and he was beginning to regret that.

Sarah appeared beside Tyler but Caleb was absent. It was odd for the older boy to always be absent, but he had a lot on his mind. Even Reid knew that. He was probably in Pogue's room thinking and strategizing. He hadn't expected to see Sarah though. They weren't friends; in fact they were probably less than friends. He hadn't made a pass at her, not after she complained about being watched in the showers. Truth is, he had felt something there too. A presence that he couldn't see. But was he supposed to tell her that? How was he supposed to be friends with her? He wasn't good at befriending girls without sleeping with them. He wasn't good at befriending girls at all. Pogue had been dating Kate for six months, and Reid was still barely on talking terms with her.

"I think you'd better leave, sir," Sarah said. Reid hadn't expected her to talk. She generally left him alone to his own predicaments and problems. Her voice sounded kind, but even Reid could hear the firmness unaccustomed to the blonde hidden within the suggestion. She wasn't just asking him to leave.

Robert's eyes darted away from Reid's weary glare, to lock onto Sarah's softer gaze, and then flickered to Tyler's hardened glare. He looked back at his son before he shook his head again. "Your mother said she would come. You better treat her with more respect than you've shown me. I'll be back." He turned away from his son and trudged toward the door. Sarah stepped aside for him but Tyler forced him to walk around. The door slammed shut hard in the man's wake.

Sarah glanced over at Tyler. He still looked pissed. She hadn't ever seen him show any range of emotion the entire time she'd known him. She knew he was quiet, and she knew he humored Reid, and he laughed at Reid's jokes, and he shared in Caleb's concern, and he listened to Pogue's stories. But she hadn't ever seen him mad, at anything. Or concerned quite so much. He'd looked terrified earlier, when she had first arrived. On the brink of tears, and based on his red rimmed eyes, perhaps even beyond that brink. But right now -- he was shaking with rage, absolutely fuming.

"You okay, Reid?" She decided to ask, tentatively taking a step away from Tyler and closer to the blonde. Caleb hadn't ever told her anything about any of the sons -- just his own history. Sometimes he'd tell her lost, nearly forgotten memories that had always shed light onto some of the boys, but nothing of substance. He'd told her the first fight Reid and Aaron had ever had. Why Reid took up swimming. He'd hinted that maybe Reid lacked the motivation for substantial relationships with females because of how his mother manipulated and then rejected him. But that hadn't been detailed. He'd told her how he and Pogue had became such good friends, and how Reid and Tyler had done the same. She had learned that Tyler had always been somewhat quiet, always reserved. Only Reid could make him talk, and Caleb hadn't known why. Why would such a smart boy trust somebody like Reid? He had revealed that Reid had rejected the power for an entire year. That Reid had closed in on himself for an entire year and became somebody else. But he never told her why. Or Reid's history. He believed that in their own time, their histories were of their own discretion. If they trusted her, they'd tell her about themselves, and he couldn't impose upon that. But she knew that Reid would never admit his history to her, even if he did trust her. Reid wouldn't admit his history to anyone who hadn't been there. Sure, his history had made him who he was today, but that didn't mean he had to embrace it. He wasn't proud.

"I don't know," he mumbled, his eyes dropping to his pale hands. "God," he groaned, bringing a hand up to cover his face, his injured hand lying limp against his injured ribs. "He's such an ass," he shouted into that hand.

Sarah crossed the room, but she did it silently, gracefully. She appeared at his side, a soft hand placed tentatively on his bare shoulder. Her thumb stroked his skin in a circular motion and he unconsciously leaned into the contact. It had been so long. It had a certain feel to it, affection he hadn't felt in years. Affection that only a mother could give. Absolutely nothing sexual. The mere thought that a female touching him didn't turn him on was surprisingly scary. When you took out the sex variable, it only left emotions. And feelings. And shit Reid didn't want to think about.

"You're no longer in critical condition, Reid," Sarah murmured beside him, brushing his blonde hair away from his pale forehead. She was slightly surprised when Reid didn't shrug her off. He was indirectly showing the sort of vulnerability that he usually rejected. "That's why you're permitted visitors. Your doctor says you're healing at an alarming rate. Caleb thinks it's because this Power makes you indirectly more powerful. Physically. If it weren't for the asphyxiation, you'd probably be released in a day or two. But the doctors want to observe you, to make sure nothing can go wrong."

Reid nodded against the gentle hand stroking his head. His face was unnervingly serious. "Caleb called Tyler's parents too," she told him quietly, her eyes glancing down to meet Reid's cold gaze. The boy didn't interrupt her so she continued. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure move away from the door and ease into a chair behind Sarah. "He called his own mother too. Caleb felt that Chase is now a problem of the entire Covenant. He broke the law when he attacked Tyler. He broke it again when he tried to kill you. And he's going to break it again, when he tries to force Caleb to give up his own Power. Caleb says his death is justified now. And he wanted to involve all the elders."

"Yeah?" Reid asked derisively. "And how'd that go?" He'd gotten into trouble twice with the elders before because of his borderline addiction; once when he was fifteen, after his mother's suicide attempt, and another time the summer before Junior year, when his power almost killed a student. He was definitely not on good terms with the elders.

"Your father didn't want anything to do with it," Sarah answered honestly. "He wasn't supposed to come here, Reid. Caleb made that clear to him." She ran a hand through his hair and he tilted his head slightly. "Your father claims to have removed himself from the covenant as far as he can, and until there is an actual death...the elders allow him that." Reid scoffed and shook his head. Sarah's hand stilled until he turned his head back toward it. "Tyler's father said that Chase was of the new generation, and therefore he is a problem of the new generation. Pogue's father didn't ignore Caleb's concern, but he was still pretty hopeless about the situation. He told Caleb he'd have to 'duke it out'. He told Caleb to get on with it, before Chase can do anymore damage."

"He could die," Reid mumbled pessimistically. It wasn't just because Chase was inevitably stronger; inevitably more powerful. It was because nothing held him back -- nothing restrained him. No voice in his head telling him what he did was wrong. No bad feelings about what he did to strangers -- strangers who had once been his family. It was like he had no conscious. Caleb wasn't so lucky.

"You could have died," Sarah reminded him softly. "Pogue's father didn't think Chase had meant to alert Caleb of your..."

"Crucifixion," Reid profided.

"He thinks Chase wanted Caleb to find you there...dead..." Sarah continued. "You could have died. Nobody knows what happened. The link between you and Tyler. It's unheard of, especially when you're not ascended...or whatever. He has altered all of our lives severely, Reid, and Caleb intends to stop him before he can do anything worst." She paused, her hand perfectly warm on his head. "Do you want me to leave? I don't want to impose..."

Tyler was quiet, waiting patiently to see what Reid would do but all Reid did was shrug...or attempt to shrug. "You're not imposing," he told her quietly. A smile turned up the edges of Sarah's lips but Reid didn't see it. His eyes had already slipped closed, as his head tilted into her stroking friends. "Your hand's soft." Only Tyler saw Sarah's smile brighten. When he tore his eyes from Reid and Sarah he noticed Caleb leaning against the doorframe.


	10. this love, this hate

_A/N: There was a review that AwayForLunch left that got me thinking. So this isn't what I had written for my next chapter, but the review said that Chase was kindest to Tyler -- in terms of torture. And I think that'd be an adorable relationship to create. So I wrote this chapter instead. And it's primarily chase and Tyler. It's an entirely different direction for the plot to go in and I hope you guys like it. Please review._

_I dedicate this chapter to AwayForLunch, for the inspiration._

_--_

_Tyler jerked awake with a sharp gasp. The world was fuzzy for a brief second before sliding into place. He jerked again when a figure moved beside him. That's right, he was lying on a couch in the hospital room Reid had been moved to. A bigger room paid in full by his guiltless father. But that didn't stop Reid from growing less responsive. Perhaps it was the dreams that continually plagued him; perhaps it was his inability to remain awake, with all the drugs pumping through his system. Perhaps it was because he was continually locked within these dreams, unable to wake himself. Trapped in these dreams with Chase; tortured over and over again. He had grown quiet, nearly silent, even though only two days had passed. He didn't laugh at Tyler's half hearted jokes and with Reid's recession, Tyler began to deteriorate as well. Both boys could sit silently in the room for hours and Reid wouldn't even attempt to break the silence. Caleb was losing the boys and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Even if he could stop Chase, then what? Would that fix Tyler and Reid? Would that turn them back into who they used to be, before all of this? He knew it wouldn't. He knew Chase had meant to damage them, to scar them. He knew Chase had gotten exactly what he had wanted. He had won already, even if Caleb killed him in the end. He'd already destroyed the covenant._

"_Baby boy." The name, nearly one word, was almost a sigh. Sweet and serene, eager. Tyler jumped again, his head whipping around to see the person he knew the voice belonged to, the only person that managed to terrify him. The only person that managed to make him feel anything any more. "You look pretty when you're contemplative."_

"_I fell asleep sitting," Tyler mumbled. That's right. He'd been curled up in a chair, trying desperately to stay awake. And what for? The days were blending together. He hadn't showered in two days and he hadn't changed since he'd had that dream of Chase nailing Reid to a cross. He hadn't eaten anything in three days, even though Caleb kept bringing him trays of food. He knew he was losing weight rapidly and he knew his lack of energy wasn't just because of his psychological trauma, but also because he'd just stopped eating. It'd been nine days since he'd been attacked. He wasn't sore anymore; he didn't wince when he moved. The bruises had faded but remained as a distant reminder. A reminder he could ignore; sometimes. He still dreamt of Chase. Every night. It'd been four days since he'd found Reid nailed to that cross. Reid had been healing quickly but he still winced whenever he moved or breathed too deeply. He didn't yelp anymore though when he jostled his back. He still flinched whenever anyone tried to touch him. Only Caleb saw the hurt that flickered briefly across Tyler's face. He still slept on his stomach, sedated. He couldn't sleep on his back and he couldn't lay painless on his broken ribs. His concussion made him spacey and quiet. He stared a lot and blinked a lot. He had changed. Tyler noticed this when he had shouted at him. Right after Reid's father had left. Right after Sarah had excused herself to speak with Caleb; she'd been real polite about it, but they all knew she had really left so abruptly because she didn't want to witness their inevitable fight. He had confronted Reid and the two had fought. He realized his friend had changed when his friend, the toughest, loudest, rudest guy he knew, had flinched at the rise of his voice; a flinch that had forced a grimace across his bruised face. It had torn the fight from Tyler, and forced Tyler from the room._

_Of course Tyler had returned. But the two hadn't shared a single word since -- in two days. He'd fallen asleep in a chair as he watched Reid sleep. Even in sedated sleep, Reid looked uncomfortable. He looked entrapped; pained._

"_I know that," Chase sighed. It took Tyler a minute to realize Chase was kneeling beside the blue couch, frighteningly close, a hand curled around the cushion edge beneath Tyler's head. It took him another minute to realize he was still lying down, weak and vulnerable. And at the same time as the realization clicked, he shot up. Chase was quicker. A hand shot out and hit Tyler in the chest harder than necessary. The hand forced him back down to the cushion and held him there. His breathing hitched, and his heart raced. "You look so much prettier…lying down. Peaceful. Zen." Another hand reached out to cup Tyler's cheek. Tyler flinched beneath the touch, but the touch was so tender, so kind that he was stunned into stillness. A thumb stroked along his cheek bone. "I felt the compulsion to move you." he nodded toward the chair, still beside Reid's bed. "Make you more comfortable. Weird, huh?"_

"_Reid?" Tyler asked suddenly. He struggled against Chase's firm hand, still placed inconveniently on his chest, in an effort to glance past the older boy's shoulder. He vaguely recognized the annoyance flicker across Chase's face. "Is he --"_

"_He's fine," Chase assured him, pressing him more firmly against the couch. "I haven't touched him. In fact, he isn't even dreaming of me. First day in two weeks. He has you to thank for that."_

_His calloused thumb trailed from Tyler's cheekbone to his lips and dragged across his bottom lip. Tyler swallowed hard. His chest was beginning to hurt, but he wasn't sure if it was because of Chase's hand or his heart hammering against his ribs. "Is…am I--Is this a dream?"_

_A faint smile turned up Chase's lips. He'd always liked the youngest boy, even though he hadn't ever been on speaking terms with him. They weren't friends, not really. He liked Caleb, because Caleb was friendly. He accepted the boy with open arms and included him in nearly every facet of his life. Caleb tried to be his friend. He made Chase's job a great deal easier. He liked Reid because the boy appreciated the Power on the same level. He didn't see it as a curse, not yet. Or he hadn't seen it as a curse, before all of this. Perhaps his views had changed. But Tyler was different. He hadn't resented Chase, not like Pogue had. But he didn't accept him like Caleb. He remained in the background with Reid. But instead of ignoring him altogether, like Reid had tried, Tyler greeted him, in his quiet, almost but not quite hesitant voice. He always nodded to Chase when he passed him in the hall. But he remained distant, he never spoke to Chase, not really. It was always only Caleb._

"_I'm sure you've already realized that your dreams might as well be reality," Chase murmured distractedly, his fingers tracing the contours of Tyler's face. The boy was tense beneath his touch and Chase liked that. Even he knew he had a thing for the submissive. He knew he needed fear, it was the only thing that seemed to turn him on now. "How do you get your skin so smooth?" He purred. "Surely you haven't left the hospital…in what….a week and a half? But you're still so soft…and you're hair…" His fingers slipped from Tyler's face to his hair. Tyler remained silent as Chase worked his fingers through his limp brown locks._

_Reid had once said the same thing. One night, after a rough night of drinking; hardcore drinking. Tyler had taken him back to the dorms and proceeded to remain at his side as he puked. And he had complimented the boy, in a drunken slur. He had called him a good friend. Said he didn't deserve a friend like Tyler. But it was only as Tyler was dragging him back to his bed that Reid's fingers found his hair. Hair that wasn't gelled or styled in any particular way. He had called it soft. Like pillows, or feathers; clouds. He had told Tyler he liked it better that way. Tyler had to force Reid's hands away from his hair. …Boys…_

"_I'm tired, Chase." Tyler didn't know when he'd grown so comfortable with the older boy. But he was tired. He yawned. "Just leave me alone. For one night…"_

_Chase chewed on his bottom lip. A surprisingly indecisive moment for him. Tyler hadn't even thought he'd actually consider the request. Chase had spent his last dream peeling Tyler's skin from his chest. When had he grown a heart? Was that even possible? "Okay," he purred, leaning closer. "Sleep. I'll stay here. Watch over you."_

_The mere image of Chase watching him sleep made Tyler shudder. "Why?" He hissed. "Why are you still doing this? Why can't you stop? Leave us the fuck alone." He violently swatted away the hand still idly twisting his hair. The fingers had almost felt nice…it'd been so long since he'd been touched -- in that loving sort of way. It made him feel sick. He shoved away the hand holding him down and sat up quickly._

_Chase shoved him back down almost instantaneously. It took all of his willpower for Tyler to remain still. He hated the idea of lying down next to Chase and he swallowed the feeling of how vulnerable such an act leaves him. His hands lifted without his consent and attempted to dislodge the fist Chase had buried in his shirt. The older boy swatted away his hands and gripped Tyler's chin forcefully in his hand. "I'm trying to be nice," Chase murmured quietly, his voice barely a whisper. "Civil, if you will. Don't be difficult."_

"_Why?" Tyler mumbled, shifting uncomfortably beneath Chase's heavy fist. "You've already done what you wanted to…you…." his voice broke off abruptly and he swallowed hard. His throat hurt. He knew it was closing; he knew a large lump was quickly rising and his eyes stung with tears he wouldn't be able to keep back long enough. Chase had already done enough to him, that's the message he wanted to convey -- the one that kept getting stuck in his throat. He was already broken; the oldest son could stop torturing him now. He wouldn't ever be able to heal. Reid wouldn't be able to heal. And Pogue…? Nobody knew what Chase had done to Pogue. Physical abuse, that's what Tyler had deduced. Tearing Pogue apart with force would damage his ego and his entire existence. But Tyler had been different. Getting beaten up wouldn't ever break the boy. But to touch him and to violate him and cause him pain on a whole new level…to use the boy…to take away his choice -- that's what had mattered. Tyler felt as if he didn't have a choice. He wasn't sure if he could ever control himself again. Could he really protect himself? Or would the Power just desert him again. And Reid…? Chase had taken one of the few things he had held dear - his power. He forced Reid to acknowledge what humans are capable of…what they would do just to punish him for being different. He didn't want to be different anymore._

_But Reid and Pogue are tough, Tyler kept telling himself. Did they really cry themselves to sleep just because sleep is the last thing they would ever want -- just because in his dreams he could not escape Chase. In his dreams Chase could do whatever he wanted to him and Tyler wouldn't be capable of stopping him. He was just too weak. Too tired._

"_Shhh," Chase shushed soothingly. His fist eased on Tyler's chin and he pushed a finger against the boy's lips. "I know that." He cleared his throat and disentangled himself from the youngest son completely, rocking back on his heels. "I don't know how much time I have left, Tyler." There was something strange about the way Tyler's name fell from his lips. It was no longer taunting, it didn't sting, not like it had in his dreams. "I don't know how to say this…I don't know what to say to make you believe me…." Chase paused, almost lost completely in thought._

_Tyler eased himself into a sitting position while the boy deliberated. Chase made no move to stop him. "I'm….sorry…"_

_Tyler blinked. "What?" He croaked._

"_Okay," Chase sighed. He sounded frustrated, but Tyler wasn't sure at whom. "It's different….for me. This…power. It's like it's some kind of animal, writhing around inside of me. Like it's impatient, or restless or something. But at times, it's almost human. It talks to me, and it uses these words that…it makes me want to do what it wants me to. But when I give myself over to it, it's like I surrender, Tyler. It's like I forfeit all right to my body until the Power grows tired. It's like I can't control myself."_

_Tyler cleared his throat. It felt nice. The lump had all but disappeared. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked. He wanted to demand it, but he sounded weak and his voice lost effect._

"_Chase's piercing eyes lifted to capture Tyler's and he smiled. But his smile looked different. "At first it was kind of nice," he admitted quietly, ignoring Tyler's question. "It meant I'd have absolutely no conscience. I could do what I wanted to…what I needed to do…and it's like the consequences weren't even there. I never thought about all the bad I'd do to people. I never felt bad. But it's happening more and more…and it's happening before I decide to do it. It's like the Power is growing more…" He stopped gradually, as if at a lost for the accurate word._

"_Powerful," Tyler supplied._

_Chase gave him another smile. Tyler didn't like the feelings those smiles stirred within him. They weren't bad feelings and he hated himself for that. "Right. The Power is growing more powerful. And I don't have a choice anymore." He shook his head and for the first time Tyler realized just how old Chase looked. No. He could still pass for nineteen or twenty. But his face looked completely worn out like he hadn't slept in days. "Yeah, what I did to Pogue was my fault. And even you…I'm sorry, Tyler but…I did all of that. Even without the Power. But the shit I did to Garwin…I wanted to stop. For the first time in my entire life, I felt the urge, the need, the desire to stop. And I couldn't. It was like I was trapped inside of me, watching all this shit and thinking it all, but it wasn't my hands and it wasn't my words and….and I couldn't stop it. I can't control it. Now it just comes and goes whenever it wants to, like strategically or whatever. It wants Caleb's power more than I do now and I don't know what to do, Tyler."_

"_So?" Tyler prompted. His word was blunt and forced, but his voice was quiet, apprehensive. "What am I supposed to do? Why should I even help you?"_

_Chase's eyes darkened and Tyler recoiled. He couldn't identify the sadness laced thickly within his eyes, it was too foreign. All he knew was that when Chase had appeared in his dorm room, even before the boy had used, his eyes had been just as dark. Dark was bad. "I won't make you," he told him in a low, deep voice. "I'll leave you alone….as much as __I _can. I just thought you'd…."

"I'd what?" Tyler pressed, leaning forward slightly. "Feel more inclined to help you now that I know it isn't really you doing all of this to us? The Power doesn't twist itself, Chase. You have to be twisted to begin with. It's you that twists your power -- how your mind works and the stupid fantasies you have. Your hunger for more Power, your thirst for revenge is what broke your power. It hurts, doesn't it, Chase? That's why you're here. Not because you lost it on Reid, but because your Power isn't just hurting us, it's hurting you too. And that scares you."

Chase was quiet for a moment before his composure shattered. He slammed a hand down on the couch beside Tyler, smiling cruelly when the boy jumped. He leaned forward, rising on his knees so he and Tyler were face to face. The boy recoiled but he couldn't escape Chase's scowl. "I don't think I like your implications, Simms." Tyler swallowed hard, but he didn't care. He was tired of cowering. He was tired of the fear that continuously strangled him and left him gasping, blinking away tears. "Fine," Chase sighed. A puff of air escaped his chapped lips and brushed across Tyler's face. The boy tried to recoil further but the wall pressed hard against his back. "Caleb is next though. And if you thought what I did to Reid was bad….it can't get any better…" He forced a grim smile to his face. "But I tried."

Chase shoved himself away from Tyler and to his feet. In the back of his mind, Tyler wanted to believe this was a dream, but if it were a dream, then why was Chase heading for the door? He supposed this was the part where he called out in desperation to stop Chase, but he never did. Chase pulled open the door and slipped from the room. The slamming door woke Reid with a start. "What the fuck?" He mumbled drowsily, blinking furiously. Tyler jumped at the noise. He wasn't dreaming. "Baby boy…?"

"Sorry," Tyler apologized, running a hand through his bed ridden hair. "It's nothing. You should try to go back to sleep." Reid shifted in bed, grimacing at the pain that rippled through him. It took Tyler a moment to realize that Reid was trying to shove himself into a sitting position. He leapt to his feet and appeared at Reid's side before the boy had progressed. He shoved him back down, his hand warmer and softer than Chase's had been. "Just go back to sleep, Reid."

"Fuck that," Reid huffed. He was supposed to be healing, but it seemed like his pain was getting worst. Tyler had tried to rationalize that maybe they were giving him less medication as he healed. "I'm getting tired of seeing him."

"You had a dream?" Tyler asked, cocking his head to the side. But Chase had been sitting beside him, he had been talking to him. Tyler had looked into his eyes -- eyes he realized were much more softer than the last time he saw them; in his dreams, darkened with magic and raw desire.

Reid almost shrugged, but he didn't. He stopped himself. "Just like all the other ones I've had," he mumbled, his voice riddled with defeat. "Every time I close my eyes. But it was different….this is gonna sound stupid, Tyler…."

Tyler waited patiently but the blonde didn't continue. "Just tell me about your dream, Reid," He chided quietly. "I won't judge you. We've all been having shitty dreams."

Reid's eyes, dull and cloudy, darted up to meet Tyler's. Tyler could see the hesitation within his gaze. The laughter and mischief wasn't there anymore. "It was different," Reid repeated. "Like…I don't fucking know…broken. Like it was distorted and nothing made sense but it still bothered me. He was talking in riddles, but it wasn't the normal riddles. It was riddles that…I don't know…fucking Alice in Wonderland riddles, Ty. That's what it was. It was a fucking Wonderland. But twisted and broken and dark and…it didn't feel like Chase. It felt like somebody else, but the only person there….the only one I recognized was him."

Tyler was quiet for a moment. There was a look twisting his face, but it was a look that Reid recognized. The younger boy was thinking. He was analyzing his dream, tearing it apart and putting it back together to force it to make sense. "I don't think it was Chase," he murmured after a few minutes of deliberating. It was Reid's turn to cock his head to the side in confusion. "Maybe the only one you recognized was Chase because he's already broken. Maybe it was your subconscious trying to tell you that he hasn't broken any of us. We're still….here, I guess. We were unfamiliar because we were too lost in your dream for even you to recognize. But Chase….he doesn't change. He can't change….he's already shattered. Fucking fractured."

Reid shook his head slowly. It did all much sense. But so fucking what? What did that even mean? He wasn't broken? Reid Garwin -- who woke up sweating and shivering every night. Reid Garwin, who wanted to curl up in a ball and wait for it all to end. Reid Garwin, who wanted to just quit and let things slowly, but surely, melt back to the way things were before Chase -- the way it was all supposed to be. He wasn't broken? And Tyler? Tyler, who was quite possibly even worst than Reid. Tyler, who recoiled whenever anyone tried to touch him; who had grown nearly silent yet ten fold more observant and calculating; who tried not to sleep because he feared his dreams more than he feared reality….Tyler, who walked around with this broken expression carved into his face…who looked so different, he wasn't even the same person. Who was somebody else….someone distant, even to Reid. Somebody who no longer had the motivation or the drive to progress in life. Pogue was still unconscious, still trapped in eternity with Chase. And Tyler had the nerve to suspect they weren't broken?

"But --"

"I don't think it was Chase," Tyler repeated quickly. "Because Chase was here. In this room. I was sitting in front of him and he wasn't Using, Reid."

"The fuck you just say?" Reid hissed, nearly before Tyler had finished. "He fucking what?"

"It wasn't a dream…" Tyler assured him in his rational tone. "The door slamming -- what woke you up -- that was him. He wanted our help…"

Reid was surprisingly quiet for a moment. He seemed almost speechless, at a loss for words. "What's he need help with?" He asked after a moment of deliberation.

"His Power," Tyler answered stiffly. "He says it's getting out of hand. It's like…controlling him, I guess. He can't stop it from doing certain things. Like crucifying his brother and raping his other brother and beating his other brother to a bloody pulp." Tyler huffed, suddenly angry. But Reid waited quietly for the boy to continue. "He's scared. He doesn't know what will happen with Caleb but…but all he's got left now is death, Reid. He's going to kill Caleb because his Power wants Caleb's power and once he gets more Power….I think that's what scares him. I think he knows he will be lost if he gets more Power, because his Power's growing all on its own. Once Caleb is dead, Chase will be dead too. His Power won't need him anymore. It'll kill him."

"So the fucker wants _our _help?" Reid demanded. His voice came out in a harsh shout and he grimaced at the movement of his chase. "How is that even possible?" He hissed. "We're on the fucking injured list. The only one who can help him is --"

"Caleb," Tyler answered quickly. "Yeah. I know. But wouldn't helping him help us?" Reid scoffed derisively. "What? He doesn't want to kill Caleb. And we don't want him to. Isn't the enemy of our enemy our friend?"

"Except Chase _is _the enemy," Reid told him quietly. "It's his body…his --"

"Power," Tyler agreed. "Don't be so hypocritical, Reid," he added. "Don't act like you don't know. Like this is his fault…like he could have stopped it."

"Shut up, man," Reid snapped, his face distorting with a scowl. "How can you defend that bastard….after what he did to you…how he touched you; how can you even see his side of all of this? He nailed me to a fucking cross, Tyler!"

Tyler took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _He said he didn't meant to_. "I know that, Reid," he murmured. "But you did a lot of shitty things too, when you were addicted."

"Oh god," Reid moaned. He heaved himself into a sitting position, violently swatting away Tyler's attempts to stop him. He bit back his sharp hiss of pain only because his mounting anger was fueling him. "I never raped anyone, Tyler. I never took a whip -- a fucking sharp ass whip -- to someone's back. I never crucified anyone. Or jumped anyone. I never sought more Power, Tyler."

"He wanted revenge," Tyler agreed. "He has direction. And his power gets that…his Power is taking that direction and using it for itself. Just as your Power manipulated your issues with your mother. Just as it forced you into a much darker path…because it saw how lonely you were, and it saw how miserable your mother made you -- just because you'd inherited your father's --"

"Tyler," Reid snapped. "Stop it. This isn't fucking about me. _I never tried to kill anybody_. I wouldn't do that."

"Doesn't mean it didn't almost happen," Tyler hissed. Normally, he'd let Reid win. Sure, they'd gotten into their own fair share of fights, but Tyler tried to steer clear of them. He wasn't going to let the blonde shove him aside this time, though. He'd denied Chase, but he wasn't sure anymore. He wasn't sure if Chase was somehow some sort of…innocent…the word sounded dirty and wrong. It doesn't matter. He wasn't sure if Chase was somehow a victim. Maybe Chase was trying to stop…to stop all this -- to stop his own Power. Tyler had seen the turmoil and conflict contorting Reid's features when the boy had been battling addiction. Chase was obviously addicted. And ascended. The Power had to be far worst. Greedy. It had to be more powerful and greedier.

"I'm not helping him," Reid all but spat. His eyes had darkened as his gaze grew harder, focused completely on Tyler. "And if you do…if you do --"

"You'll what, Reid?" Tyler prompted. "Take back your red crayon? Never talk to me again? I'm tired of this shit. Do whatever it is you will do, when you heal completely, just stop bitching about it. He asked for our help. I am going to help him. I don't care if you won't. And I don't care if Caleb won't. _I will_."

"But --"

"He could die," Tyler snapped. "Not only could he die, but his Power would be running rampant. We could all die, Reid. Lives will be lost because you're too damn stubborn to help him. I know what he has done is horrible. I won't forget. You won't forget. We won't ever be able to forget. We won't forgive. But being better than he is involves acting better, Reid. He needs our help. I'm gonna help him, and if you were my friend, you'd help him too."


End file.
